Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Air Quality in London

Thursday 6 February 2020 · 1 question

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Felicity Buchan's constituency has some of the worst air quality in London.
  • Rebecca Pow responded that the Mayor of London is responsible for air quality in the capital.
  • The Mayor has reserved powers under the 1995 Act to address air quality issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Felicity Buchan Con Bromley and Chislehurst
Environment
Context

The Mayor of London is responsible for air quality under the Environment Act 1995. The Secretary of State has not had recent discussions with the Mayor, but DEFRA officials are in regular contact.

Question

Felicity Buchan's constituency has some of the worst air quality in London and asks if Rebecca Pow agrees that more needs to be done, noting only 2% of buses have been converted to electric and only 10% of promised trees planted.

Answer from Rebecca Pow (Member of Parliament)

My hon. Friend's question demonstrates how strong a voice she will be in this place. I must reiterate that the Mayor of London is responsible for air quality in the capital and has reserved powers under the 1995 Act to do this work. A great deal of money has been committed to help with that work, especially the retrofitting of buses, but I would not underestimate the challenge posed by air quality in our cities, especially London.

Answered
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