§ Lord Brabazon of Taraasked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures they propose to encourage greater use of unleaded fuel in cars, in view of industry estimates that current use of leaded fuel in the United Kingdom is more than twice that which would be expected in view of the number of vehicles which cannot operate on unleaded fuel.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Baroness Hayman)At a meeting of the EU Environment Council in June 1997, the UK and its partners agreed to a ban on the sale of leaded petrol from 1 January 2000, apart from a small percentage (0.5 per cent. maximum) for use by classic and historic vehicles. In the meantime, and supported by the duty differential between leaded and unleaded petrol, sales of leaded petrol will continue to decline from the present level of 27 per cent. of total petrol sales as older vehicles are scrapped. After 1 January 2000, unleaded petrols with the addition of non toxic lead-replacement additives are expected to be offered for use by older vehicles that may require protection against engine wear. The British Standards Institution is currently consulting on a common specification for such fuels.
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