Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor air pollution at (a) state schools in urban areas and (b) any school near an A road or motorway.

The UK monitors air quality and its environmental impacts via a network of over 270 monitoring stations. The location and density of monitoring stations is greatest within areas where the highest concentrations of pollutants occur. The number and location of stations is regularly reviewed to ensure sites are appropriately located.

Defra provides guidance and support to local authorities in England on local monitoring. Positioning of local monitors is expected to be in line with national and local priorities, which may include schools and other locations where there is high risk of public exposure to air pollutants. Local authorities in England operate over 700 local monitoring stations.

The Department has not made an estimate of the number of schools in England that are in areas known to breach EU limits on nitrogen dioxide (NO₂).