§ Mr. Dykesasked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to monitor heavy commercial vehicle noise levels on the roadside.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe Department carries out a continuing programme of checks on heavy goods vehicles by the roadside, covering all aspects of their mechanical condition. Vehicles with defective silencers or exhaust systems are among those prohibited from proceeding further until defects are remedied.
Similar checks are also made at the annual HGV test.
§ Mr. Dykesasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he has authorised any research into noise emissions from heavy commercial vehicles subsequent to the allocation of £5 million for this purpose in November 1982; and when he expects this research programme to be completed.
§ Mrs. ChalkerMy right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Industry and for Transport have agreed details of a programme of research and development — the QHV 90 project—to be carried out jointly with vehicle and component manufacturers.
Several major contracts are being negotiated for the development and building of pre-production prototypes of engines, exhaust systems and other components, and complete vehicles. This will put United Kingdom industry in a good position to provide the full range of new equipment that will be needed to meet the much stiffer noise limits proposed recently by the Commission of the European Communities to come into effect later in this decade. The programme will be spread over the next four years.
§ Mr. Dykesasked the Secretary of State for Transport what action he intends to take on the draft directive of the European Economic Community Commission to introduce a maximum heavy vehicles noise level of 84 dB(A) by 1989.
§ Mrs. ChalkerAdoption of this directive requires the unanimous decision of the Council of Ministers, which must first receive the opinions of the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee. My present inclination is to support the directive as proposed, but I shall of course take account of any points which my hon. Friend may wish to put to me on this.
§ Mr. Dykesasked the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department is monitoring progress on those recommendations of the Armitage report on heavy lorries which were accepted by Her Majesty's Government.
§ Mr. RidleyI refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Faversham (Mr. Moate) on 13 December 1983.—[Vol. 50, c. 391]