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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support and empower local authorities in meeting WHO guidelines on air quality.

HM Government provides a range of resources and tools to local authorities to enable them to manage air quality in their area. This includes the Air Quality Grant programme, which has provided over £80 million in funding since 1997, new Local Air Quality Management policy and technical guidance, and a strengthened framework including better enforcement of smoke control areas.

We are reviewing our Air Quality Strategy, which supports local authorities to deliver improvements in air quality, and will publish a draft for consultation soon.