HC Deb 28 March 1973 vol 853 cc1316-7
Mr. Tam Dalyell (West Lothian)

I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require manufacturers of motor vehicles to design such vehicles, after 31st December 1975, so that their components can be easily re-cycled, so saving the raw material for further use. In view of the fact that their are 40 speakers in the debate on Northern Ireland I will bring in what will be a Two-Minute Rule Bill.

This Bill is first of all about finite resources—that is, that if at the design stage, the eventual death of the vehicle were taken into account much more metal and other material could be recaptured from used cars than would otherwise be the case on current designs. The crucial thing is that thought should be given at the design stage and that the eventual death of the vehicles should be taken into account.

I will spare the House all the technical details, and will just say that Donald Jensen, the Directors of Emission of Ford, Michigan, Chrysler and Leyland have all made the point that the recapturing of material would be much easier and of higher quality if it were thought about at the design stage, and metals made more easily separable.

The second point is that this Bill would give every economic incentive to people who were willing to take their cars to a metal recapturing unit. In a sense, it would serve also to do something about all those dumps of disused vehicles that litter the whole of Western Europe.

It may well be said that this is all very well but why on earth should legislation, why should a Bill, be necessary? For one rather self-evident reason, really, that no single company is going to go ahead and take on the extra costs of doing this at an early stage of the design, if other manufacturing bodies are not going to do the same thing, because then that company would be at a competitive disadvantage.

This Bill has been thought out, it has been discussed in some detail with the motor manufacturers, it has been discussed with the British Scrap Federation. I ask the House to take my word for it that it is worth giving a Second Reading to the Bill. I will only say in addition that when the Bill is published in full the House can judge, but in the meantime it would be an abuse of the time of the House to carry this any further.

Question put and agreed to.

Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Tarn Dalyell, Mr. James Dunn, Mr. George Darling, and Mrs. Lena Jeger.

RE-CYCLING OF COMPONENTS OF USED MOTOR VEHICLES

Bill to require manufacturers of motor vehicles to design such vehicles, after 31st December 1975, so that their components can be easily re-cycled, so saving the raw material for further use, presented accordingly, and read the First time; to be read a Second time upon Friday, 30th March and to be printed. [Bill 101.]