Defra provides the public with access to real-time local air quality monitoring and forecasts, as well as associated health advice, through the Check Air Quality webservice. This information is available to everyone, and specific advice is provided for people with lung or heart conditions.

Defra is continuing to improve the way air quality information is communicated to ensure information reaches the people that need it the most. Last week Government launched a new air quality alert service which allows people to select an area relevant to them, and receive an alert by SMS or email when air pollution is measured or forecast to be high. This will help people who are more susceptible to harm from air pollution, and those who care for them, make informed decisions about reducing exposure during periods of poor air quality.

The Department also works with a range of partners including local authorities, the UK Health Security Agency and health charities to support clearer public messaging on air pollution and health. This includes establishing the Air Pollution Awareness Coalition (APAC); a cross-sector coalition to improve public understanding of air pollution and support action to reduce harm.

The Government published a PFAS Plan on 3 February 2026, which sets out its approach towards protecting human health and the environment from risks posed by PFAS.

Research is being commissioned and coordinated across the Government, regulators, academia and industry to close key evidence-gaps on PFAS health, environmental impacts and innovation of alternatives.

Defra has funded the Environmental Agency to develop one of the most capable PFAS monitoring programmes globally. Using improved analytical methods and data from a range of sources, it covers water, wildlife, soil and industrial emissions.

A number of the most harmful PFAS already have a mandatory classification and labelling for carcinogenicity under the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging regime.

The UK remains strongly committed to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all abroad. It is our firm opinion that no one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in. We are championing the right to FoRB and promoting tolerance and mutual respect through our engagement in multilateral fora including the UN and Article 18 Alliance, our bilateral work, working collaboratively with the Special Envoy for FoRB, David Smith and our programme funding.

Our network of diplomatic posts around the world monitor and report on human rights, including FoRB. We also draw on other information sources including the regular reports of the United Nations Special Rapporteur for FoRB.

We have had no such discussions. There is ongoing collaborative work across Government on both indoor and outdoor air quality.

Defra and the Environment Agency work closely to monitor and understand the risks of a range of contaminants in the environment.

Since 2010, the number of networks that monitor air quality have expanded from 11 to 16. This has included the number of sites increasing from 179 to 538. (There were 284 in 2016)

In 2016 the Environment Agency took over the responsibility to manage the UK national air quality monitoring networks on behalf of DEFRA and the government. The following was allocated for buying and maintaining air pollution equipment since then:

Figures for the UK Networks

Figures for the UK Urban Nitrogen Dioxide Network (UUNN)

NB we do not have figures before 2019 as the network did not start until 2020.

The following is the current predicted allocated funding for buying and maintaining air pollution equipment for 2023-24 and 2024-25:

Figures for the UK Networks

Figures for the UK Urban Nitrogen Dioxide Network (UUNN)

Information about monitoring sites as they become operational is made available on UK Air: Home - Defra, UK.

We are investing over £10 million to expand the existing network to add over 100 monitors across England between December 2021 and March 2025 (22 monitors installed to date).

The Environment Agency has conducted its own monitoring around the following landfill sites in England in the last five years:

Table 1: Locations of ambient air monitoring by the Environment Agency near landfill sites between 2018 - 2023 and comparison with the 24-hour average WHO Guideline for hydrogen sulphide (H₂S).

Notes –

• Since April 2013, the Environment Agency has a statutory role only around the regulation of landfill sites in England. Natural Resources Wales have a similar role in Wales.
• The Environment Agency’s Ambient Air Monitoring Team has carried out these monitoring studies in England during the last five years using real time monitoring equipment located on or outside the boundary of the landfill sites.
• Other monitoring is required of the operator of the permitted site themselves. Part of assessing permit compliance at these installations by the Environment Agency is checking the monitoring processes and the data that is collected by the operator.
• Monitoring at these locations was triggered by a variety of issues and the results of the monitoring, presented in detailed reports, are used to inform the Environment Agency’s regulatory activities such as, requiring improvements to operations but also in some cases, the data was used to confirm that there weren’t any risks to the environment or human health.
• Examples of the detailed report that the Environment Agency’s Ambient Air Monitoring Team produce to accompany their ambient air monitoring around landfill sites can be seen here - https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/22781/widgets/64777/documents/39289
• More information on the Environment Agency’s Mobile Monitoring Facilities can be found here - https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/air-quality-monitoring/widgets/60780/videos/3626

64 local authorities are being supported by a fund of £883 million from government specifically to develop and implement measures to address their NO2 exceedances in the shortest possible time. As part of this programme, local authorities are required to evaluate the impact of Local Plan measures, including maintaining or expanding air quality monitors where required.

Defra provides funding to English councils through the Air Quality Grant to help them develop and implement locally targeted measures. This year £10.7m in funding was awarded to 44 English local authorities some of which will be used by local authorities to purchase monitoring equipment. The budget available for the next round of funding will be announced in summer 2023.

64 local authorities are being supported by a fund of £883 million from Government specifically to develop and implement measures to address their NO2 exceedances in the shortest possible time. As part of this programme, local authorities are required to evaluate the impact of Local Plan measures, including maintaining or expanding air quality monitors where required.

Defra provides funding to English councils through the Air Quality Grant to help them develop and implement locally targeted measures. This year £10.7m in funding was awarded to 44 English local authorities, some of which will be used by local authori-ties to purchase monitoring equipment.

The expansion of the Automatic Urban Rural Network AURN for England is delivered by the Environment Agency on behalf of Defra. The intention is to deliver the following brand-new monitoring stations:

2022-23 4

2023-24 48 estimated

Figures for the UK Urban NO₂ Network (UUNN)

2022-23: 49

2023-24: not yet known

As of 21 February 2023, there were over 430 Defra funded monitoring sites in England, these sites form part of multiple monitoring networks. Defra also provides the data from 268 Locally Managed Automatic Monitoring sites from England in near real-time on the UK Air website.

In terms of the national monitoring networks across the UK, the following number of new air quality monitoring stations have been delivered in each of the last 5 years:

These are new AQ monitoring stations, not additional equipment added to existing sites. For example, 21 additional PM_2.5 monitors have been added to existing monitoring stations in 2022 to further monitor this pollutant.

For the UK-wide ambient air quality monitoring networks, which the Environment Agency runs on behalf of Defra, the following has been allocated to spend on (a) buying and (b) maintaining air pollution monitoring equipment in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24:

Figures for the UK Urban NO₂ Network (UUNN)

For the UK-wide ambient air quality monitoring networks, which the Environment Agency runs on behalf of Defra, the following was allocated for buying and maintaining air pollution equipment in each of the last 5 years:

Figures for the UK Urban NO₂ Network (UUNN)

We do not have figures before 2019 as the network did not start until 2020.

Figures for the UK Networks

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Defra is investing in a Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) which is a long-term programme to understand the state and condition of biodiversity, ecosystems and natural capital assets in England. This is being piloted with £5m of funding in 2020/21 by a partnership including Natural England, the Environment Agency, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Forest Research. Data from this programme will inform the annual Monitoring Environmental Outcomes in Protected Landscapes (MEOPL), which records how protected landscapes in England are changing and provides a broad indication of how they are performing with respect to the criteria for which they are designated.

Natural England is developing a new approach to monitoring protected sites, which include Sites of Special Scientific Interest and European sites. This includes the use of new technologies such as remote sensing and greater partnership involvement. Natural England's 5-year strategy for investment in monitoring the natural environment and its benefits across England's land and sea was published in 2019:

http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5752753379082240

The statutory purposes of National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty are enshrined in legislation and are primarily to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of those areas. The management of these protected landscapes is informed by statutory management plans, which set out the agreed policies and objectives to help deliver their statutory purposes. These documents, including monitoring reports, are publicly available online via:

https://www.nationalparksengland.org.uk/national-park-management-plans/the-ten-english-national-park-management-plans

https://landscapesforlife.org.uk/about-aonbs/aonbs/overview

The Landscape Review, led by Julian Glover and published in September 2019, recommended that management plans should be strengthened and set clear priorities and actions for nature recovery. We are carefully considering all the recommendations of the review and will respond in due course.