The Cost of Poor Indoor Air Quality Highlighted in Parliamentary Debate
01 March 2019
Tuesday 26th February saw the first Parliamentary debate on ‘the cost of unhealthy homes to the NHS’, which was led by Jim Shannon MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Healthy Homes and Buildings. The debate follows the publication of the APPG’s white paper, ‘Laying the Foundations for Healthy Homes and Buildings’, that came out in October. The BEAMA Ventilation group is a sponsoring partner of the APPG and was heavily involved in the development of the white paper.
Around 15 MPs attended and 11 MPs contributed to the debate, including Melanie Onn, the Shadow Housing Minister and Heather Wheeler, Government Minister at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), who said: “There is no doubt that it is essential that buildings are well ventilated, as the hon. Member for Huddersfield mentioned, for the health of the people in the building, and the health of the building itself. It is not merely a means to resolve overheating, but a matter of air quality.”
The debate contained numerous references to indoor air quality and ventilation and MHCLG confirmed that they had read the White Paper and were taking many of its recommendations seriously. Jim Shannon MP commented: “It is essential that the Government adopt a holistic approach to delivery that addresses safety, space, energy efficiency, ventilation, heating, noise, air quality and lighting.”
