All-Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution launches

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Air Pollution has launched and officially registered with the House of Commons. Air quality contributes to the deaths of 40,000 people a year in the UK, has featured in countless EFRA Select Committee meetings, been a major campaigning issue in elections and is an issue that routinely receives national press coverage so although it is no surprise that the group has formed, it is long overdue.

The group was inspired by meetings between Matthew Pennycook MP, the campaign group Clean Air Alliance and the Environmental Industries Commission, an environmental trade body that will be providing the group’s secretariat.

The APPG on Air Pollution will aim to raise the profile of air quality issues in Parliament even further and educate members and peers on the tragic problems of poor air quality and how to solve them. The APPG will meet regularly with experts and campaigners to advocate for a better understanding of the topic in Parliament.

Speaking to Air Quality News, Matthew Farrow, Executive Director of EIC said “air quality has been a big, big issue for a long time but gradually there has been a lot more attention on it in the media. But, while that is all good, we are conscious that it is a very complex issue – there are many different airborne pollutants and different technology options.

We also felt that there was much-increased interest among MPs and so there was a great deal of merit in setting up this group.”

In an article in Infrastructure Intelligence, he added “I’m delighted that Matthew Pennycook, the Labour MP for Greenwich, with whom we’ve been working to get the group up and running, has been elected as chair”.

Now that the Air Pollution All Party Parliamentary Group has formed, it will aim to generate a work programme as soon as possible. To be kept up to speed with the APPG’s progress, please send an email notifying EIC at info@eic-uk.co.uk and we will add you to our mailing list.

For information on how to join the group, please get in touch with oliver.johnson@eic-uk.co.uk or call EIC on 020 7654 9945.