AIR QUALITY(2)

That this House regrets the poor air quality headline indicator figures for 2003; notes that pollution in urban areas was moderate or higher on 50 days on average per site which compares unfavourably with 20 days in 2002; notes that the situation was even worse in rural areas, where air pollution was moderate or higher on 63 days on average per site compared to 30 in 2003; is concerned that the Government does not appear to have a coherent strategy to improve these figures; whilst recognising that the weather and pollution from mainland Europe play their part in creating poor air quality, notes that the main causes of pollution are the combustion of coal, transport emissions and industrial pollution; further notes that air pollution affects the health of hundreds of thousands of people, that last year's hot summer pushed up pollution levels, causing more health problems for people across the country and that climate change means we are likely to have more hot summers; and therefore calls on the government to give improving air quality a higher priority and to make clear what action it intends to take if the UK experiences another heatwave this summer.