§ 7. Mr. Rookerasked the Secretary of State for Trade why import-export statistics are not kept for petrol internal combustion engines which can operate on low-lead and lead-free petrol.
§ Mr. MeacherThe cost and practical difficulties of collecting reliable statistics would be substantial, and would have to be weighed against the benefits of establishing precisely the volume of overseas trade which is known to be small.
§ Mr. RookerIn view of the fact that our major export markets, namely, America, Japan, the Soviet Union and West Germany, all require petrol driven engines to run on low-lead petrol and that all Ford vehicles sold here in the last four years are able to run on low-lead petrol, why do not the Government consider it important enough to know what our manufacturers are doing to meet the requirements of those overseas markets, notwithstanding the fact that it should be a requirement of our own that vehicles should run on low-lead petrol?
§ Mr. MeacherIt is true that we produce a small number of cars which operate on virtually lead-free petrol. The introduction of this more widely depends on balancing the medical evidence about the effects on health with the economic price involved in lead-free motoring which would be considerable in terms of having to solve a number of technical problems, such as the need for lower pressure ratio engines.
§ Mr. PavittWill my hon. Friend give a little more weight to the medical evidence which he is receiving? Is he aware that taxpayers are now spending £8,300 million a year on a comprehensive Health Service? If only we can stop pollution, we can start preventing rather than curing.
§ Mr. MeacherI am well aware of the importance of the medical evidence. There have been a number of foreign studies, notably American and German, which the Government are examining, and there are British studies currently in hand. In addition, the Department of Health and Social Security has set up a special working party on the health effects of lead, and we await that report.