Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Air Quality

Thursday 9 May 2024 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Questions on Air Quality were held on 2024-05-09.
  • Munira Wilson questioned the rescinding of a 1 million local air quality grant awarded to Richmond upon Thames by DEFRA.
  • The government expressed concerns that some local air quality scheme bids were not aimed at improving air quality effectively.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Munira Wilson Lib Dem Twickenham
Environment
Context

The question arises from concerns about air quality in Richmond upon Thames, with some areas breaching standards close to schools. The World Health Organisation targets are becoming stricter.

Question

Last month, my local authority of Richmond upon Thames was informed by DEFRA that its £1 million local air quality grant awarded just two months earlier is being rescinded. Given the number of areas in Twickenham breaching air quality standards, and with World Health Organisation targets becoming ever more stringent, how does the Minister think he is meeting his commitment to “expand the resources available to councils to improve air quality”?

Answer from Mark Spencer

We are driving down emissions and concentrations of the most harmful air pollutants, reducing their impact on public health and the environment. Through the Environment Act 2021, we introduced further legal targets for fine particulate matter. We have allocated £883 million to support local authorities, and air pollution has fallen significantly since 2010, with emissions of nitrogen oxide down by 48%, PM2.5 down by 24%, and sulphur dioxide down by 74%. However, we rescinded the £1 million grant due to concerns that it was not delivering positive outcomes and some bids were not aimed at improving air quality.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question about how resources are being expanded for councils is only partially answered by highlighting overall progress without addressing the specific commitment to expand resources.

How: We Rescinded The Grant Due To Concerns It Was Not Delivering Positive Outcomes

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Q2 Jane Hunt
Environment
Context

Incinerator capacity far outweighs waste, and a short-term pause has been introduced for applications of certain types of waste incineration facilities.

Question

Given that incinerator capacity far outweighs waste, I welcome the Government's decision to introduce a short-term pause in the determination of applications for environmental permits for certain types of waste incineration facilities. Will the Minister please now extend that pause beyond its current official end date of 24 May and include existing incinerators that have applied to increase their capacity?

Answer from Mark Spencer

Our assessment of incineration capacity and needs is ongoing—I do not want to prejudge the outcome of that work or any of the next steps—but the Government are clear that proposed waste incineration facilities must not result in overcapacity or compromise our ambitions to minimise waste and improve recycling.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question about extending the pause beyond 24 May is only partially answered by stating ongoing assessment without committing to extension.

How: Our Assessment Of Incineration Capacity And Needs Is Ongoing—I Do Not Want To Prejudge

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Q3 Munira Wilson Lib Dem Twickenham
Environment
Context

DEFRA rescinded a £1 million local air quality grant awarded to Richmond upon Thames just two months earlier, raising concerns about the impact on improving air quality.

Question

Last month, my local authority of Richmond upon Thames was informed by DEFRA that its £1 million local air quality grant awarded just two months earlier is being rescinded. Given the number of areas in Twickenham breaching air quality standards, and with World Health Organisation targets becoming ever more stringent, how does the Minister think he is meeting his commitment to “expand the resources available to councils to improve air quality”?

Answer from Mark Spencer

We want to continue to make progress and support local authorities, but we did have concerns that the local air quality scheme was not delivering the most positive outcomes. Some of the bids were not aimed at improving air quality: we had bids for a robotic chatbot and for a kinetic art project. We want to focus on improving air quality and make sure we are funding local authorities to do just that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The question about expanding resources for councils is only partially answered by explaining reasons for rescinding grants without committing to expansion of resources.

How: We Want To Focus On Improving Air Quality And Make Sure We Are Funding Local Authorities To Do Just That

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