Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals on clean air.
The upcoming Environment Bill will contain provisions to tackle poor air quality, which is the greatest environmental risk to health.
The Air Quality chapter in the Environment Bill will ensure that local authorities have a clear framework for tackling air pollution, and simple to use powers to address air quality in their areas. It will also provide Government with new powers to enforce environmental standards for vehicles, and will commit to setting an ambitious, long-term air quality target.
The Environment Bill fell at the dissolution of the last Parliament, but the Conservative Party manifesto committed to reintroducing the Bill and we are expecting to see its reintroduction to Parliament shortly. Exact timings of the Bill’s introduction will be confirmed soon.