Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) direct and (b) indirect impact of current levels of (i) ambient and (ii) indoor air pollution on the (A) current and (B) future health of children and young people.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ambient and indoor air pollution have long- and short-term health impacts on children and young people, for example respiratory effects including reduced lung function and exacerbation of asthma. The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has published advice on the susceptibility to air pollution, including for children.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found that one third of schools in England in 2017 were in areas with fine particulate matter levels exceeding previous World Health Organization guidelines, particularly in income-deprived areas, exacerbating health inequalities.
A recent UKHSA review also found that 315,000 days of school absences in 2019 were attributed to illnesses related to fine particulate matter exposure.
The UKHSA is a key partner in a newly funded project focused on improving indoor air quality and its health implications, including among children in educational settings.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will update guidance titled ‘BB101: Ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality 2018’ for the latest available technical standards.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
All new department-delivered schools are designed and constructed to the department’s own school building standards. These standards include ventilation, thermal comfort and air quality and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employers-requirements-part-b-generic-design-brief.
The standards are reviewed regularly and updated when necessary to meet industry best practice and any relevant legislation. An updated set of standards will be published in early 2026.
The department’s publication, ‘Building Bulletin 101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools’ (BB101), provides non-statutory guidance, and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.
The department reviews non-statutory guidance regularly and publishes updates only when necessary.
Asked by: Sam Carling (Labour - North West Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to reduce the level of exposure to children of diesel emissions from buses operating near schools.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government shares the concern about the impact diesel bus emissions have on air quality, and ultimately to children's health.
The NO2 programme has provided £576m to support local authorities (LAs) to improve air quality in areas of nitrogen oxide exceedances. This funding is for LAs to scope and develop measures; implement, monitor and evaluate their measures; and provide mitigation funding for local people and businesses affected by their measures. Clean Air Zones have also been implemented in places where the local evidence shows they are the quickest route to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution.
The most effective way to reduce bus emissions and improve air quality is to achieve an all zero emission bus (ZEB) fleet. As of March 2025, 12.4% of the bus fleet across England was zero emission, however we need to make further progress in accelerating bus decarbonisation.
We legislated in the Bus Services Act 2025 to ultimately prevent bus operators from using new non-ZEBs on local bus routes in England. This measure will provide confidence to the sector and stimulate the investment needed to deliver a fully zero emission fleet alongside the improved air quality benefits.
Separately, in April we announced £38m to deliver an additional 319 ZEBs through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas programme. Furthermore, the recent announcement of £15.6 billion over five years, to improve local transport in some of our largest city regions, allows local leaders to play a more active role in the delivery of local bus services and allocate some funding toward decarbonising their local fleets. Our smaller cities, towns and rural areas will also receive £2.3 billion from the Local Transport Grant.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of PM2.5 exposure on children’s health outcomes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Air pollution exposure can be harmful to everyone. Children are more vulnerable to the effects than adults due to their incomplete lung development, high physical activity and breathing rates, and lower height, which increases exposure to traffic pollution.
The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) assessment of children’s exposure to air pollution in outdoor school environments identified that, in 2017, one third of schools in England were in areas with PM2.5, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) previous annual guideline of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3).
In 2021, WHO updated its guidelines for PM2.5 from 10 µg/m3 to an annual mean of five µg/m3.
The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants published advice on the susceptibility to air pollution in March 2025. They concluded that, based on the latest evidence, advice for children with asthma should continue to be included in the Daily Air Quality Index.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) provides The Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI) which is available at the following link:
https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/air-pollution/daqi?view=more-info
This informs on the levels of air pollution and provides recommended actions and health advice. The index is numbered 1-10 and divided into four bands, low (1) to very high (10), to provide detail about air pollution levels in a simple way, similar to the sun index or pollen index.
UKHSA contributed to the Royal College of Physician’s report on air pollution which explores the impacts of air pollution over the life course, including through childhood and adolescence. UKHSA has a Cleaner Air Programme which aims to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, particularly the most vulnerable groups, including children.
The Programme is described in UKHSA’s ‘Chemical Hazards and Poisons Report’ of June 2022, available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chemical-hazards-and-poisons-report-issue-28
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of air quality in classrooms in Surrey.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department has not assessed the air quality of classrooms in Surrey.
The department regularly reviews its guidance to ensure that it aligns with best practice and industry standards in order to deliver high-quality school environments.
Between January 2022 and April 2023, the department provided over 9,000 air cleaning units to over 1,300 settings that had been identified with poor ventilation. The department has published guidance on how to use CO2 monitors and air cleaning units, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the air quality of classrooms.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department has not assessed the air quality of classrooms in Surrey.
The department regularly reviews its guidance to ensure that it aligns with best practice and industry standards in order to deliver high-quality school environments.
Between January 2022 and April 2023, the department provided over 9,000 air cleaning units to over 1,300 settings that had been identified with poor ventilation. The department has published guidance on how to use CO2 monitors and air cleaning units, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-co-monitors-and-air-cleaning-units-in-education-and-care-settings.
Asked by: Emma Foody (Labour (Co-op) - Cramlington and Killingworth)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information her Department holds on levels of air pollution at Moor Farm Roundabout between the A19, A1 and A189 in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
National Highways does not have any air quality monitoring for Moor Farm Roundabout and has not monitored here, or similar locations, because there are no sensitive receptors such as houses or schools anywhere nearby.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help ensure that air pollution levels near (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) GP surgeries do not exceed the World Health Organisation's recommended limits.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to continue reducing everyone’s exposure to air pollution. We are developing a series of further interventions to reduce emissions from key sources. We have set a Population Exposure Reduction Target for PM2.5, which will continue to reduce peoples’ average exposure across the country. We will consider WHO guidelines as part of an evidence led process when considering future targets and plan to publish a revised Environmental Improvement Plan later this year, which will set out the action we intend to take on air quality.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many hospital admissions for preventable cardiovascular disease there have been in each of the past three years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold data on the number of admissions for cardiovascular disease which are preventable. However, we know that up to 70% of cardiovascular disease is preventable and linked to behavioural, metabolic, and environmental risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, living with obesity, and air pollution.
The Government is tackling the root cause of preventable heart disease and stroke through the landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill, implementing advertising regulations for less healthy food and drink to children on television and online, and giving councils stronger, clearer powers to block the development of new fast-food shops near schools.
Asked by: Brian Mathew (Liberal Democrat - Melksham and Devizes)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the enforcement of guidelines on air quality in schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The responsible body, relevant local authority, academy trust or voluntary-aided body, is responsible for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of pupils when in their care including meeting any relevant standards for internal environments.
The department publishes non-statutory guidance on indoor air quality in ‘Building Bulletin 101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools’ (BB101), which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.
All new department-delivered schools are designed and constructed to the department’s school building standards. These standards cover ventilation and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employers-requirements-part-b-generic-design-brief.