Written questions by Farron.

Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department's ambient air quality policy is interacting with climate change mitigation, nature recovery and land use planning.

Defra’s ambient air quality policy is delivered within the wider framework of the Environmental Improvement Plan, which sets out commitments to improve air quality, restore nature and support climate objectives. The plan highlights that actions to tackle air pollution such as reducing emissions, support nature recovery and contribute to resilience against climate change. Air quality is also a material consideration in planning decisions and Government policy is set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. I will continue to work collaboratively with colleagues across government to ensure we take a joined-up, holistic approach.

Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence exists of direct and indirect impacts of ambient air pollution on (a) the climate, (b) the environment and (c) public health and their cascading effects.

The UKHSA Health Effects of Climate Change (HECC) in the UK: 2023 report considered the relationship between climate change and outdoor air pollution and included new analyses of the health burden from long-term and short-term exposure to air pollution.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the the top five impacts of air pollution in England on each of (a) the climate, (b) the environment and (c) public health and their cascading effects.

The UKHSA Health Effects of Climate Change (HECC) in the UK: 2023 report considered the relationship between climate change and outdoor air pollution and included new analyses of the health burden from long-term and short-term exposure to air pollution.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department holds data on the top five sources in tonnes of primary air pollution emissions in England for each of (i) fine particulate matter (PM2.5); (ii) nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and (iii) other types of ambient air pollution.

Data on our primary air pollution emissions can be found at Emissions of air pollutants - GOV.UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of whether examples of best practice exist in England to achieve compliance with legislation and regulation to improve local air quality in each of (a) ambient air and (b) indoor air.

Defra supports local authorities in implementing their statutory air quality duties by providing both resources and practical tools. A key example is the Air Quality Hub, which enables local authorities to collaborate, share best practice, and access guidance, case studies, and training materials. This platform strengthens alignment between local delivery and national objectives by ensuring that evidence, lessons learned, and emerging policy priorities are shared consistently across the local authority network.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding and devolved powers to ensure the comprehensive monitoring of air quality in England.

Defra is responsible for the national monitoring of air quality (which includes England) through 16 different networks monitoring various pollutants. Departmental budgets, including budgets for air quality monitoring, are determined through departmental spending reviews. Devolved powers through the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) framework and the London Local Air Quality Management (LLAQM) require local authorities to review and assess air quality in their areas. These assessments include air quality monitoring and the production of annual status reports which are funded through their own budgets.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the national targets, requirements and performance standards are for ambient air pollution and national emission ceilings in the Air Quality Environment Act target delivery plan and the 10-year Health Plan.

National targets and requirements for ambient air pollution are set out in the Air Quality Standards Regulations (2010) and the Environmental Targets (Fine Particulate Matter) Regulations 2023. Emissions targets and requirements are set out in the National Emissions Ceilings Regulations (2018). Performance against these targets and requirements are reported annually in the air pollution in the UK report and national emissions inventory respectively. The 10 Year Health Plan for England sets out commitments to reduce emissions and improve awareness of and communications on the health impacts of air pollution.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of potential barriers and/or challenges to achieving national targets, requirements and performance standards for ambient air quality, indoor air quality and national emission ceilings in England.

Defra regularly assesses potential barriers and/or challenges to achieving national targets, requirements and performance standards in relation to ambient air quality and emissions. Performance against targets are reported annually in the emissions inventory and air pollution in the UK report.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the ten most common causes of air pollution in England in (a) ambient air and (b) indoor air.

Data on our largest sources of air pollution emissions can be found at Emissions of air pollutants - GOV.UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she had made of the adequacy of alignment between national government targets and obligations and local government actions to improve ambient air quality in England.

National targets and local actions are aligned through statutory duties that require local authorities to assess air quality, designate Air Quality Management Areas, and produce Air Quality Action Plans tied to national air quality objectives. Local authorities retain flexibility to tailor interventions to local circumstances.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support change on ambient air quality across Government.

We are determined to improve air quality and protect the public from the harm of pollution. That is why we are taking steps to reform areas like simpler industrial permitting to reduce emissions, and tightening standards for new wood burning appliances to help reduce health impacts.

Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence exists of the direct and indirect impact of air pollution on (a) crop yields, (b) biodiversity, (c) pollinator, (d) rain, (e) stratospheric ozone, (f) water quality and (g) soil quality.

Evidence is set out in the recent house of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee’s Nitrogen report: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5901/ldselect/ldenvcl/161/16102.htmand and the Critical loads expert report Air_Pollution_Trends_Report_2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, what comparisons and best practices can be learned from other countries to help improve air quality in England in (a) ambient air and (b) indoor air.

The Government recognises that air pollution is a local, regional, and global issue, and that there is considerable expertise, knowledge, and skills that countries, experts, and organisations can share to help reduce pollution across the world. We remain committed to cooperating with our neighbours across Europe to reduce our regional air pollution, including through the ongoing revision of the 2012 amended Gothenburg Protocol, and to playing our part in wider global action to reduce pollution around the world.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of data capture and analysis for air quality within England.

Assessment of data capture is a routine activity to ensure air quality monitoring meets legislative requirements (data capture of at least 85% of the measurement period (i.e. at least 85% of days in a year) is required for compliance reporting. Networks operated for this purpose have suitable regimes of maintenance and servicing to minimise instrument down time and maximise data capture.Analysis of air quality in England is presented within our accredited official statistics ( https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/air-quality-statistics) and our annual compliance report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-pollution-in-the-uk-2024). Both provide more detail on the data capture requirements and data capture statistics achieved in the relevant year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of how well examples of local best practice that exist to enforce existing legislation and regulation to improve local air quality are being rolled out elsewhere in England.

National targets and local actions are aligned through statutory duties that require local authorities to assess air quality, designate Air Quality Management Areas, and produce Air Quality Action Plans tied to national air quality objectives. Local authorities retain flexibility to tailor interventions to local circumstances.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of national targets, requirements and performance standards for air quality and national emission ceilings in protecting public health, climate and the environment.

Defra regularly assesses the adequacy of national air quality targets and emission ceilings through statutory annual reporting and formal reviews of the Environmental Improvement Plan.

Food and Rural Affairs, which Government departments other than his Department are able to have the biggest impact on improving levels of ambient air pollution; and how their policies seek to achieve this.

Air pollution comes from many different sources and has wide-ranging impacts. Issues such as air quality, climate action, public health and nature recovery are closely linked, creating opportunities for policies that deliver benefits across all these areas. Because of this, every part of government has a role in shaping policies that help reduce air pollution and its effects. I will continue to work collaboratively with colleagues across government to tackle key sources of pollution, such as transport, health and energy policy, which play a vital role in meeting our statutory air quality targets.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department made of the risks posed by captive‑bred birds at licensed gatherings prior to introducing the December 2025 amendments to Bird Gathering Licences; and what the evidential basis was for the prohibition on sales and exchanges at such events.

I refer the Hon Member to the reply previously given on 30 January 2026 to the Hon Member for Stockton West, Matt Vickers to PQ UIN 107782.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes made in December 2025 to Bird Gathering Licences on the viability of (a) mixed‑species bird exhibitions, (b) the National Exhibition and (c) any other regional agricultural events.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Regulation 6 of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, sets out the legal basis for permitting gatherings of poultry or other captive birds. In England, a licence to hold a bird gathering may be granted by Defra if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, and if the gathering, including the movement of birds to and from it, would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza virus. Detailed risk assessments can be found on Gov.UK. As legislation requires this to be a risk-based decision, assessments of the impact to individual events, the number of events, or types of event, have not been made. Assessing the risk of each gathering is complex. Factors taken into account include, but are not limited to: the background risk; the origin locations of the birds; the species of birds attending; biosecurity measures; the number of birds and species; and the number of exhibitors. Gatherings, including mixed species exhibitions may be permitted, subject to licence.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the requirement for Bird Gathering Licences to be approved no more than seven days before an event on (a) trends in the number, (b) the planning and (c) biosecurity of such events.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Regulation 6 of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, sets out the legal basis for permitting gatherings of poultry or other captive birds. In England, a licence to hold a bird gathering may be granted by Defra if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, and if the gathering, including the movement of birds to and from it, would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza virus. Detailed risk assessments can be found on Gov.UK. As legislation requires this to be a risk-based decision, assessments of the impact to individual events, the number of events, or types of event, have not been made. Assessing the risk of each gathering is complex. Factors taken into account include, but are not limited to: the background risk; the origin locations of the birds; the species of birds attending; biosecurity measures; the number of birds and species; and the number of exhibitors. Gatherings, including mixed species exhibitions may be permitted, subject to licence.