Strategy background

A number of developments occurred between the publishing of the 1997 and 2007 National Air Quality Strategy (NAQS). These are summarised below.

The 2000 Strategy and 2003 Addendum

The 1997 strategy was reviewed and republished by the then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) as The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in January 2000, and again set health-based objectives for the eight ambient air pollutants. However, several key changes were introduced on the basis of evaluation of gathered measurements, economic analysis and EU-based legislation which was being developed in tandem. In summary, the dates for compliance were brought forward by two years for benzene, 1-3 butadiene and carbon monoxide to 2003. The compliance date for lead was brought forward by one year and an additional, more stringent standard introduced for 2008. Analysis of data gathered on particulate matter (PM10) indicated strongly that the objectives for this metric would not be met in the required timescale primarily as a result of urban vehicle-based emissions, and it was therefore decided to relax the objective in line with EU requirements. In addition, two new sulphur dioxide objectives (on an hourly and 24-hr measurement basis) were also introduced.

In September 2001, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), along with the devolved administrations, issued a consultation on proposals to tighten the objectives for PM10 (with a more stringent objective in Scotland compared the rest of the UK), benzene, CO and to introduce targets for a new group of compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Regulations enacting the revised objectives came into force on 12 June 2002. The Scottish objective for benzene was set at a more stringent level than required by the  second EU Daughter Directive, which is the level adopted in England and Wales. The objective for PAH was not included in Regulations (i.e. it remained an aspiration). Following the review and public consultation in 2001, the UK Government and devolved administrations published an  Addendum to the Air Quality Strategy on 6 February 2003. This introduced the tighter objectives outlined during the consultation.