Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for people's health of the reduction in air pollution during the covid-19 lockdown.

The implementation of social distancing measures to slow the spread of COVID-19 has resulted in short-term reductions in the measured concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter (PM). When these measures are eased, PM and NO₂ levels are likely to return to pre- epidemic levels. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Public Health England and the Office for National Statistics are working together to assess whether there is evidence of an association between exposure to particulates and COVID-19 mortality in the United Kingdom. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ independent Air Quality Expert Group launched a call for evidence to help with assessing the impact of the pandemic, and a summary report will be produced.