Environmental Audit Committee Backs Call for Public Inquiry into Air Pollution.
In its report on air pollution published today Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has backed the campaign for an independent Public inquiry into air pollution.
In a letter to the Committee John McDonnell MP and 24 MPs and Lords had called for an urgent independent inquiry because of the failure of existing policies to tackle air pollution, causing large scale ill health and fatalities.
The Environmental Audit Committee report state
In the past the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution would have helped to review air pollution and make recommendations for remedial action. The Sustainable Development Commission, similarly, might have been expected to address this important sustainability issue. Both no longer exist. In the absence now of an independent body responsible for air quality, the time has come for decisive action and we therefore support calls for an independent public inquiry to look at the required urgent action on air pollution
John McDonnell MP said “This is a major breakthrough for the campaign for a public inquiry into air pollution. People are dying in large numbers every year and yet existing policies to tackle air pollution are having no effect. We urgently need an inquiry into how we can tackle the mounting air pollution crisis.”
Dave Davies of the Campaign for Air Pollution Public Inquiry said
‘’ It is extremely positive that the Environmental Audit Committee has supported the call for an urgent Public Inquiry into the thousands of deaths from air pollution and taken notice of the MPs and Peers who wrote highlighting serious concerns about this urgent situation.
The number of MPs who support the call for a Public Inquiry is growing as it is the only way to establish why previous air quality strategies have failed and the Government must surely initiate a Public Inquiry immediately. The role of the Environmental Audit Committee is to advise the Government as to what action to take and the new estimates of more than 1000 deaths each week in the UK from air pollution would make it immoral to delay action any longer