Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the report from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology entitled Indoor Air Quality, published on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes non-statutory guidance on indoor air quality in ‘Building Bulletin 101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in school’ (BB101).
BB101 is regularly reviewed to ensure that it aligns with best practice and industry standards to deliver high-quality school environments. The department will assess the report of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) for any relevant new information.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
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 ensure compliance with (a) legal limits and (b) targets for (i) benzo[a]pyrene, (ii) nickel, (iii) nitrogen dioxide, (iv) ozone and (v) particulate matter.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are delivering a wide range of actions to drive improvements to air quality:
We continually measure ambient concentrations of a wide range of air pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particles, hydrocarbons, and metallic pollutants at over 500 urban, suburban, roadside, industrial and rural locations throughout the UK. In September 2023 we published the Air Pollution in the UK 2022 report providing the most comprehensive and complete analytical picture of the UK’s air pollution during 2022, at Air Pollution in the UK report - Defra, UK.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the report from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology entitled Indoor Air Quality, published on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department takes note of the report.
The Department is aware of the impacts of domestic cooking appliances on indoor air quality. In particular, we are currently considering the impacts of potential updates to Ecodesign and energy labelling requirements for domestic cooking appliances, including the societal benefits of reduced asthma rates caused by an increased use of electric cooking appliances reducing amounts of NOx and small particulates in the home. The published report reinforces the importance of retaining these benefits as a key consideration in ongoing policy development in this area.
The Department is also a member of the cross-Government Working Group on indoor air quality which is led by Defra. We will continue to ensure that the Department is represented in that group.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the interventions listed in section 6.2 of the UK Parliament POST brief entitled Indoor Air Quality, published on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Department has a wide and reforming programme to improve the quality and liveability of the housing stock within the United Kingdom. The Government’s policies have been set out and we will bring forward any new proposals in due course.
We welcome all contributions to the public debate on building quality, building use and building safety.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what guidance his Department provides to those participating in military exercises during episodes of high air pollution.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As set out in Joint Service Publication (JSP) 375, Management of health and safety in Defence, military exercises must be risk assessed to identify and manage potential risks. The accountable person, who may be the commander or manager, must identify hazards and whether reasonable steps are being taken to prevent harm. This process is conducted prior to conducting military exercises and may be further refined during the exercise as part of a dynamic risk assessment.
In incidences where there is a risk of poor air quality, specific information on its prevention and mitigation are provided to all service personnel through Force Health Protection Instructions. In certain situations, deployment restrictions may be implemented for those deemed at greatest risk of poor air quality.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities data on D01 - Fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution (new method), if she will publish the annual number of deaths attributable to long term exposure to total concentrations of fine particulate matter for each year that data is available.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The estimates for the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution, measured as PM2.5, are published every year. Data for 2022 will be published later this year. The fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution indicator represents the percentage of annual deaths from all causes in those aged 30 and older attributed to PM2.5.
Annual numbers of deaths attributable to particulate air pollution are not calculated each year. The published estimate for England for 2019 was 26,000 to 38,000 deaths for adults aged 30 and over. For the United Kingdom, the published estimate for 2019 was 29,000 to 43,000 deaths for adults aged 30 and over.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies of UK Parliament's publication entitled POSTbrief54 Indoor Air Quality, published on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No specific policy assessment has been made. However, as set out in the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2022 on air pollution, there is good evidence on the health risks associated with poor air quality, including indoor air. The Department continues to work collaboratively across government on both outdoor and indoor air quality.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on indoor air pollution in 2020. This was designed to raise awareness of the importance of good air quality in people's homes and advise on how to achieve this.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress her Department has made on implementing the 15 recommendations in the Chief Medical Officer's annual report 2022: Air Pollution published on 8 December 2022.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government recognises that there is more to do to protect people and the environment from the effects of air pollution, including in some of the areas outlined in the Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report 2022. The Department of Health and Social Carecontinues to work collaboratively work across Government to address the impact of air pollution.
We are taking significant and wide-ranging action to drive improvements to air quality as set out in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Environmental Improvement Plan. The UK Health Security Agency’s Cleaner Air Programme also aims to help reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, tackle disparities in exposure and improve outcomes for all.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 24 May 2023 to Question 185749, what progress she has made on (a) increasing the evidence base, (b) supporting stakeholders and (c) improving awareness and understanding of indoor air quality in 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Department of Health and Social Care collaborates across Government to help ensure a joined-up approach on Government actions concerning indoor air quality. It has worked with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to design new consolidated guidance on damp and mould aimed at private and social rented landlords, including quantification of the respiratory burden of disease in England from exposure to damp and mould in housing. The guidance is available at the following link:
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published the Health Effects of Climate Change report which provides evidence on the impact of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies on indoor environmental quality and health. UKHSA supports research and are co-funding and supervising PhD projects to develop evidence on the factors that affect personal exposure. The report is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/climate-change-health-effects-in-the-uk
The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with stakeholders and organisations to provide scientific input, using expert knowledge and experience on indoor air quality in relation to public health and to approve awareness.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Climate Change Committee on the use of wood burning stoves over the next (a) 10 and (b) 20 years.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials and the Air Quality Expert Group worked with the Climate Change Committee in 2020 to identify the opportunities and potential tensions from policies and interventions to achieve net zero and other environmental outcomes such as air quality. We set out our proposals to reduce air pollution from wood burning in our Environmental Improvement Plan. We are not considering a ban on domestic burning in England. Defra officials regularly engage with the Climate Change Committee on a wide range of issues.