Environmental protection

About the Group - AQEG

The Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) is an 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).

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;
  • to 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.
Work programme

AQEG are due to publish their latest report on Ozone in the United Kingdom.

The function and structure of the group is currently under review and a new work programme will be developed subsequent to the review findings early in 2009.

About the members

Page last modified: 29 January 2009
Page published: 2 August 2001

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs