Noise was once again a subject for discussion in the House of Lords this week, as Defra gave evidence to the enquiry on the impacts of noise on health. In the final evidence session held on Tuesday, Rebecca Pow MP, Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience, Dr Bill Parish, Deputy Director for Air Quality and Industrial Emissions and Defra officials answered questions from Lords Science and Technology Committee. The committee heard that Defra have commissioned a £6million project mapping road and rail noise, which should be published this summer and support advancing knowledge on noise and health. They were also informed that given the range of sources of noise, responsibility is spread across government departments. When asked why there is no expert group on noise to inform policy, unlike, for example air pollution, the Minister answered that it is a complex issue with evolving evidence. In answer to a question from the committee as to whether noise is the forgotten pollutant, the Minister assured the committee that it is not forgotten due to the work of the committee and her efforts as a Minister.
Watch the full session here: Parliamentlive.tv - Science and Technology Committee (Lords)
