Ministers Accused of Ignoring Advice in Scrapping Key Air Quality Regulations

Government officials advised ministers to carry out a public consultation before reforming the regulations, and to put two options to the public. However, the ministers chose to ignore these suggestions and revoked the regulations without a replacement, citing the intention to reduce administrative burden and remove duplication. This has led to accusations of misleading the public and creating dangerous gaps in transparency and accountability concerning air quality regulations.

The removal of these regulations has been criticized as constituting a regression of environmental law, despite the government's assurances that there would be no reduction in the level of environmental protection. Concerns have been raised about the potential impact on public health, as air quality is associated with a significant number of deaths each year in the UK. Members of parliament and environmental advocates are urging the government to maintain existing regulations and strengthen their targets to address the public health emergency related to air pollution.

Ministers have been accused of “misleading the public” after documents revealed they ignored their officials’ advice when scrapping key air quality regulations. These regulations will drop off the statute book at the end of the year under the Retained EU Law (REUL) Act. The regulations being revoked are related to the National Emission Ceiling (NEC) regulations, which set legally binding emission reduction commitments for five key air pollutants. The government's decision has sparked criticism and concerns from various parties.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has urged ministers to take steps to prevent the regulations from being stripped from the statute book and to provide an explanation for their decision. Environmental advocates and the government's own environmental watchdog have also expressed strong criticism of the decision, warning that revoking these regulations weakens environmental protection. The government has defended its decision, stating that it intends to reduce administrative burden and remove duplication by revoking the regulations.

Despite these assurances, it has been revealed that ministers knew this was not the case. In March 2023, officials at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) advised the government to carry out a public consultation before reforming the regulations and presented two options to the public. However, the advice to consult was ignored, and the regulations were revoked without a replacement. Critics argue that this constitutes a regression of environmental law and creates dangerous gaps in transparency and accountability concerning air quality regulations.

The decision has also raised concerns about the potential impact on public health, as air quality is associated with a significant number of deaths each year in the UK. Members of parliament and environmental advocates are urging the government to maintain existing regulations and strengthen their targets to address the public health emergency related to air pollution. Despite the government's reassurances that there has been no reduction in the level of environmental protection and its commitment to achieving reduction targets, the decision to revoke the regulations has sparked widespread criticism and calls for urgent action to address the issue.