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 estimate he has made of the number of excess deaths attributable to one or more air pollution episodes in the UK in March and April 2014.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The United Kingdom experienced widespread high levels of particulate air pollution in March and April 2014 and observations of hourly mean PM2.5 (particulate matter) concentrations reached up to 83 μg m− 3 at urban background sites.
The former Public Health England performed an exposure and health impact assessment of the air pollution, focusing on two episodes with the highest concentrations of PM2.5 between 12 to 14 March and 28 March to 3 April 2014. This estimated that approximately 600 deaths were brought forward from short-term exposure to PM2.5, representing 3.9% of total all-cause mortality excluding external causes during the episodes. Using observed levels of PM2.5 from other years, the mortality burden was estimated to be is 2.0 to 2.7 times the burden associated with typical urban background levels of PM2.5 at this time of year.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many death records listed air pollution as a cause of death in (a) Plymouth, (b) the South West and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 18 February is attached.
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 plans he has to update the Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator, D01 - Fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution from 2019 to 2020 to take into account the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' population-weighted annual mean PM2.5 data for 2020.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator (PHOF) - D01 is updated annually by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The UKHSA and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will be updating and publishing the PHOF-D01 for 2020 values in 2022, which will be based on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Automatic Urban and Rural Network data.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect of air quality on (a) death and (b) infection from covid-19; and when such discussions occurred.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra continues to hold extensive discussions with the Department for Health and Social Care on the relationship between air quality and health. These have included the specific relationship between air quality and covid-19 transmission, infections and deaths.
In response to Defra's call for evidence on COVID-19 and air quality (April 2020 and published in June 2020), the scientific community and appointed experts from Defra and Public Health England (PHE) considered the possible link between air quality and COVID-19 infection. They concluded that there was no clear empirical evidence of a link at that stage:
Officials and appointed experts from Defra, PHE and the Office for National Statistics delivered a project to describe the relationship between air pollution exposure and COVID-19 deaths. The results and methodology were shared with the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), and a summary of the findings were published in August 2020 at the following URL:
The methodology used in this analysis project was also published at the following URL:
The Departments continue to actively engage on a regular basis.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the coroner’s reports relating to the death of Ella Kissi-Debrah and the prevention of future deaths, published on 20 April, whether they have accepted the recommendation that the UK’s legal limit for particulate pollution should be halved to bring it in line with WHO guidelines; and what steps they have taken (1) to improve public warnings on air pollution levels, and (2) to improve awareness among medical staff of the need to provide more information to patients on the health impacts of air pollution.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Our thoughts continue to be with Ella's family and friends. We are carefully considering the Prevention of Future Deaths Report published by the Coroner on 21 April and we will respond in due course.
We know that air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health, and although air pollution has reduced significantly over the last decade, there is more to do. In 2019, we published our Clean Air Strategy which recognised the need for comprehensive action on air pollution for the primary and crucial purpose of protecting people's health.
Our landmark Environment Bill delivers key aspects of our Strategy. The Bill establishes a legally binding duty to set at least two new air quality targets, through the environmental targets framework. We recognise the need to take action to reduce people's exposure to PM 2.5 and in proposing a dual target approach, we are putting health at the centre of our target setting. This approach will ensure action is taken at pollution hotspots and continuous improvement will be driven across the country. We will take into account WHO guidance when setting these targets
Defra makes air pollution information available through a range of channels, such as the UK-Air website and more recently working with Global Action Plan to deliver the Clean Air Hub. We also provide information to a network of charities (e.g. the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, British Heart Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, British Thoracic Society and others) when air pollution levels are forecast to be elevated to ensure information reaches the most vulnerable.
The Department for Health and Social Care continues to engage with organisations such as Health Education England and the Royal Colleges to ensure that healthcare professionals are equipped to provide information and advice to those vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution. The Chief Medical Officer has also discussed this matter with the Royal Colleges during a recent meeting. This will allow patients and their carers to take steps to reduce their exposure to air pollution and give them greater power to manage their condition.
The NHS Long Term Plan committed to improve asthma outcomes for children and young people. The Children and Young People's Transformation Programme has asked local systems to prioritise local improvements in asthma care. This will include supporting clinicians to discuss the short and long-term adverse effects of air pollution in children with asthma and any mitigation strategies.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths that were attributed to air pollution in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne, (b) the North East and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Of the last five years, data estimates are available are for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The following table shows the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to human-made particulate air pollution in Newcastle upon Tyne, the North East and England.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Newcastle upon Tyne | 3.6% | 3.7% | 3.8% | 3.5% |
North East | 3.6% | 3.7% | 3.8% | 3.6% |
England | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.2% | 5.1% |
Source: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/air%20pollution
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 plans to bring forward legislative proposals in the Environment Bill in response to the recommendations of the coroner's report following the inquest into the death of Ella Kissi-Debrah.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our thoughts continue to be with Ella’s family and friends. We will carefully consider the recommendations in the Prevention of Future Deaths report and respond in due course.
We know that air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health, and although air pollution has reduced significantly over the last decade, there is more to do. This is why the Government is continuing to take urgent action to curb the impact air pollution has on communities across England through the world-leading Clean Air Strategy, the landmark Environment Bill, and the delivery of the £3.8 billion plan to clean up transport and tackle nitrogen dioxide pollution at the roadside.
We know there is a strong case for taking ambitious action on PM2.5 as it is the pollutant that has the most significant impact on health. That is why we are introducing a duty to set a PM2.5 target – alongside at least one additional long-term air quality target - in the Environment Bill. We have always been clear that we will consider the World Health Organization’s guidelines for PM2.5 at part of this process.
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, with reference to the coroner's Report to prevent future deaths following the inquest into the death of Ella Kissi-Debrah, what estimate he has made of the effect of reducing national limits for Particulate Matter in line with the World Health Organisation's guidelines on the number of deaths from air pollution in the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our thoughts continue to be with Ella's family and friends. We will carefully consider the recommendations in the Prevention of Future Deaths report and respond in due course.
We know there is a strong case for taking ambitious action on PM2.5 as it is the pollutant that has the most significant impact on health. That is why we are introducing a duty to set a PM2.5 target - alongside at least one additional long-term air quality target - in the Environment Bill.
The costs, benefits and distributional impacts of any measures to meet air quality targets on businesses and wider society will be assessed as part of our development of targets under the Environment Bill Framework. They will be included in an Impact Assessment which will accompany a public consultation on environmental targets in early 2022. To inform this analysis, we have asked the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants for expert advice to ensure we are taking account of the latest health evidence. World Health Organization guidelines will also be considered to inform target development.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths that were attributed to poor air quality in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England is responsible for collecting data to better understand public health challenges. This data is available via the Public Health Outcomes Framework for England portal, which includes an indicator for air pollution expressed as the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to human-made particulate air pollution. This is updated annually. The data are available to view at the following link:
Of the last five years, data estimates are available are for 2016, 2017 and 2018 and are shown in the following table.
Fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to human-made particulate air pollution in Coventry, West Midlands Region, West Midlands Combined Authority and England
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
Coventry | 5.9% | 5.5% | 5.6% |
West Midlands Region | 5.5% | 4.9% | 5.0% |
West Midlands Combined Authority | Not available | 5.4% | 5.5% |
England | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support research into understanding the biological mechanisms of long-term covid-19 symptoms and air pollution.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided research funding for programmes looking into the factors that contribute to the severity of Covid-19 cases. This includes £4.9m funding to the ISARIC consortium for research and provision of real time information into the factors, including existing respiratory conditions, that put people most at risk of developing severe hospitalised illness as a result of Covid-19; and £1m to OpenSAFELY, a secure platform linking the primary care NHS records of 24 million patients, which is able to identify patients at higher risk of admission, ventilation and death from Covid-19.
UKRI’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) provides a national capability in air pollution research that underpins ongoing evaluations of the potential relationship between long-term air pollution exposure, respiratory conditions and COVID-19 symptoms and mortality. UKRI has also funded or repurposed at least 12 research projects studying the links between Covid-19 and air quality.
Through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the Department of Health and Social Care funds 14 Health Protection Research Units (HPRUs), which are research partnerships between universities and Public Health England (PHE). One of these Units, the NIHR HPRU in Environmental Exposures and Health based at Imperial College London, undertakes research on the health effects associated with exposure to a range of environmental pollutants. This includes research to investigate possible links between air pollution and COVID-19. Further information on projects on COVID-19 that are underway at the Unit can be found here: https://eeh.hpru.nihr.ac.uk/covid-19-projects/.