§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has had with the petrol companies to encourage the sale of Auto LPG and CNG in petrol station forecourts. [51862]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonMinisters have regular discussions with the oil companies and the use of road fuel gases has featured in several of these. As detailed in my reply on 5 June 1998,Official Report, columns 629–30, in response to a question from the hon. Member for Taunton (Jackie Ballard), steps taken by the Government to encourage the use of gas powered vehicles are significantly reducing their operating costs and making them a viable alternative to conventional petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles. The Cleaner Vehicles Task Force, which includes representatives from the oil and motor industries as well as Government, is also looking at ways of expanding their use. As a direct result of these initiatives, there are now about 12 CNG refuelling sites in the UK, the numbers of which are expected to increase significantly in the next few years, and one oil company has recently announced plans to establish a network of some 200 LPG sites on forecourts across the UK by 2001.