Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Barry Gardiner (Labour) on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 September 2026 (named day). It was answered by Emma Hardy (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Air Pollution: Warnings

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of aligning air quality index bands of Moderate, High, and Very High with those of other public health warnings such as the Yellow, Amber, and Red used by the Health Security Agency in their Heat-health Alert service.

Answer

The Government recognises the importance of clear and consistent public health communications. Recent evaluation of the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI) concluded the DAQI was well understood by the majority of surveyed users, this has been validated by user testing undertaken as part of the development of the new GOV.UK air quality webservices. The evaluation recommended some improvements to the DAQI, including updates to the associated health advice and clearer contextual information which have been incorporated into the ongoing webservice improvements.

Any future consideration of changes to the DAQI including band names, colours or warning terminology would need to be supported by appropriate scientific and medical evidence and informed by user research, including testing how different approaches affect public understanding and action.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
26480
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Air pollution Warnings Public health UK Health Security Agency
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk