Air Quality Expert Group

Issued jointly by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Scottish Executive, The National Assembly for Wales, and the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland.

Latest information

• 19 December 2005 - Consultation on draft AQEG report on climate change and air quality
• Climate Change and Air Quality - Third report of the Air Quality Expert Group, in progress
• Particulate Matter in the United Kingdom - Second report of the Air Quality Expert Group, launched 16 June 2005

Contents

• Introduction
• Terms of reference
• Membership of AQEG
• Contact address
• Work programme/meetings:
  • Work programme
  • Agenda and minutes of meetings
  • Future meetings
• Code of Practice for members of the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG)
• Reports
• Register of interests
• News releases
• Publication scheme
• Links to other sites

Introduction

The Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) is a advisory group that provides independent scientific advice on air quality, in particular the air pollutants contained in the Air Quality Strategy (AQS) for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and those covered by the EU Directive on ambient air quality assessment and management (the Air Quality Framework Directive).

AQEG replaces the Airborne Particles Expert Group, who published their report on 'Source apportionment of airborne particulate matter in the UK' in January 1999. The Group considers current knowledge on air pollution and provides advice on such things as the levels, sources and characteristics of air pollutants in the UK.

AQEG reports to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Scottish Ministers, the National Assembly for Wales and the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland (the Government and Devolved Administrations). AQEG is an advisory non-departmental public body in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In terms of the Scotland Act 1998, the Group is a jointly established body. Members of the Group are drawn from those with a proven track record in the fields of air pollution research and practice.

Terms of reference

AQEG's main functions are:

• to give advice on levels, sources and characteristics of air pollutants in the UK;
• assessing the extent of exceedences of AQS objectives and proposed objectives, EU limit values and proposed or possible objectives and limit values, where monitoring data is not available;
• analysis of trends in pollutant concentrations;
• assessing current and future ambient concentrations of air pollutants in the UK; and
• to suggest potential priority areas for future research aimed at providing a better understanding of the issues that need to be addressed in setting air quality objectives.
• AQEG will not give approval for products or equipment.

Contact address

AQEG Secretariat
Defra
7/F15, Ashdown House
123 Victoria Street
London SW1E 6DE
Tel: 020 7082 8421
Fax: 020 7082 8385
Email air.quality@defra.gsi.gov.uk

All correspondence for AQEG should be sent through the Secretariat. Members cannot guarantee a reply on AQEG business to any communication sent directly to them.

News releases

See "Air Quality Expert Group members appointed" - news release, 18 July 2002

Publication scheme

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, the publication scheme below has been designed to summarise the material published by AQEG and how it may be obtained.

• AQEG publication scheme (29 KB)

Links to other sites

• The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Scottish Executive
• National Assembly for Wales
• Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland)
• The UK National Air Quality Information Archive
• Department of Health Air Pollution pages
• Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP)
• Air Quality Expert Group
• Cabinet Office Public Appointments Unit

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