Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee has launched today an investigation into the impact of a 3^rd runway at Heathrow on the Government’s commitment to tackle air pollution.

Submissions to this cross-party Committee are being sought by a deadline of 5pm on Thursday September 3 2015 on the following:

• Whether the indicative policies and proposed mitigations set out in the Airports Commission’s recommended option are realistic and achievable.

• What the implications of adopting or not adopting those policies and mitigations are for wider government policy.

• Whether realistic and achievable alternatives to those policies and mitigations exist, should the government adopt the recommended option.

• What steps the government should take in these areas to reach its decision in a way that is consistent with its commitments on sustainable development.

  The chair of the committee, Huw Irranca-Davies MP said “Environmental concerns are a key part of the debate on airport expansion. Critics of airport expansion have raised concerns about whether it is possible to expand airport capacity in the South East while meeting the UK’s binding commitments on air pollution and climate change. We will be examining the Airports Commission’s assessment of these issues in order to inform the debate about the future of aviation in the South East.”