§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his assessment of the cost implications for the United Kingdom car manufacturing industry of the proposed End of Life Vehicle Directive; and if he will make a statement. [117336]
§ Ms HewittI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Dorset (Mr. Bruce) on 21 February 2000,Official Report, column 715W.
§ Mr. NichollsTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Government support the amendment proposed by the European Parliament to exclude historic cars from the End of Life Vehicle Directive; and if he will make a statement. [117337]
§ Ms HewittVehicles will be affected by this Directive only when they become waste as defined under existing legislation—in other words, only when the owners have decided to discard them. For this reason, amendments to the Directive designed to exempt 'historic' vehicles are unnecessary. However, the UK has made it clear that we would have no difficulty with amendments designed to clarify the situation, provided that suitable wording can be found.