CIEH is unsurprised by ClientEarth's legal warning to UK Government

Subject: Environmental protection

Following ClientEarth’s final legal warning to the UK government to act on air pollution, Howard Price, Principal Policy for the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), said:  

“It’s not entirely surprising that ClientEarth has felt it has to pursue this course of action. If Defra`s Plan amounts to a complete plan at all, it still made no attempt to demonstrate that it will lead to compliance with EU limit values `as soon as possible` and ministers appear to be deliberately dragging their feet.

“It is imperative that Defra now produces the templates and draft legislation for Clean Air Zones, along with greater clarity about their funding, quickly. Only then can we really assess their likely effectiveness in bringing down NO2 levels or, alternatively, know if even more stringent measures might be needed.”

ENDS 

Notes to editors  

For enquiries, please contact Steven Fifer on: 020 7827 5922 or email s.fifer@cieh.org.  

Link to ClientEarth press release: http://www.clientearth.org/news/latest-news/final-legal-warning-gives-government-10-days-to-act-on-air-pollution-3166   

The CIEH’s position statement on improving local Air Quality:  http://www.cieh.org/policy/policy_briefing_notes.html  

About the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH):    

The CIEH is the professional voice for environmental health representing over 9,000 members working in the public, private and non-profit sectors. It ensures the highest standards of professional competence in its members, in the belief that through environmental health action people's health can be improved.  

Environmental health has an important and unique contribution to make to improving public health and reducing health inequalities. The CIEH campaigns to ensure that government policy addresses the needs of communities and business in achieving and maintaining improvements to health and health protection.   

The CIEH is a leading provider of regulated qualifications and operates in over 50 countries.  

For more information visit www.cieh.org and follow the CIEH on Twitter @The_CIEH.