Air Pollution (Hansard, 26 November 1991)

§ Mr. Chope

[pursuant to the answer, 22 November, Vol. 199, c. 236]: On 1 October the EC Council of Ministers adopted an amending directive 91/542/EEC prescribing stricter limits on the same gaseous emissions from new diesel-engined trucks and buses over 3.5 tonnes. Limits on emissions of particulates are also set for the first time. There will be two stages, the first to take effect in 1992–93 and the second in 1995–96, with the potential for a third, starting in 1999. The 1992–93 stage substantially reduces the limit for emissions of NOx and establishes limits for particulate emissions. The 1995–96 stage goes further with NOx reduction, so that the limit will be less than half its present value, and reduces the particulate limit to a level of stringency similar to that to be applied in the United States from 1994.

Both directives set ambitious targets with a challenging but industrially realistic timetable, putting the United 426W Kingdom and its EC partners on a course for substantial longer-term progress in improving the quality of air in our towns and cities.

Regulations will shortly be laid before Parliament introducing the directives into United Kingdom law.

The Government are also pressing the EC Commission to propose a directive to control CO² emissions from motor vehicles using a system of tradeable credits to ensure effective control of this important greenhouse gas.

On 1 November a new MOT emissions check came into effect. If motorists keep their engines in tune, less fuel is burnt and therefore fewer pollutants are emitted. It is expected that the check should improve fuel consumption and hence reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 4 per cent. averaged over the 16.5 million cars and light vans in the MOT scheme, with substantially larger benefits to carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions.

During 1992 the Government also plan to introduce an instrumented smoke check into the annual test procedure for large goods vehicles and buses.