Explanatory note

These Regulations are made to implement in England European Parliament and Council Directive 2000/69/EC relating to limit values for benzene and carbon monoxide in ambient air^f1. They amend the Air Quality Limit Values Regulations 2001^f2 which in turn implement Council Directive 96/62/EC on ambient air quality assessment and management^f3 (the Air Framework Directive) and Council Directive 1999/30/EC relating to limit values for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air^f4.

The parts of the Air Quality Limit Values Regulations 2001 which these Regulations amend apply only in England.

Regulation 2 amends those Regulations by: adding a new regulation 2A designating the Secretary of State as competent authority for the purposes of the Air Framework Directive; adding benzene and carbon monoxide as “relevant pollutants”; setting limit values and margins of tolerance for those substances; determining criteria for location and numbers of sampling points; setting reference methods for the analysis and sampling of those substances; and making consequential amendments.

Regulation 2(10) amends Schedule 2 to those Regulations to give effect to Commission Decision 2001/744/EC amending Annex V to Council Directive 1999/30/EC relating to the limit values for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air^f5.