Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on ensuring that his Department has a role in supporting the Government’s clean air strategy.

While there have been no specific recent discussions, the Department for Health and Social Care and Public Health England (PHE) contributed to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ development of the Government’s national Clean Air Strategy. We continue to work closely with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to provide alerts and advice during high air pollution episodes to ensure that key health messages are communicated to vulnerable groups, including those with existing lung conditions.

To assist with the development and implementation of the Clean Air Strategy, the Department commissioned PHE to undertake a review of the evidence for effective and cost-effective air quality interventions and provide recommendations for actions to improve air quality that will reduce harm from air pollution.