§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of vehicles used by his Department and its agencies fuelled by(a) petrol, (b) diesel and (c) liquid petroleum gas; and what plans he has to increase the rate of conversion of those vehicles to liquid petroleum gas. [98205]
§ Mr. StrawThe Home Department currently operates a total of 1,171 vehicles. The majority of these, 759, belong to the Prison Service Agency. There are 272 petrol engine vehicles and 899 diesel engine vehicles. There are no liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) powered vehicles in the fleet as yet as there is a logistical difficulty in opting for LPG powered vehicles in view of the limited number of supply points available for a fleet of vehicles spread throughout England and Wales.
However, the Prison Service has adopted a policy that up to 70 per cent. of vehicles replaced in the financial year 2000 will be powered by either dual fuel petrol/LPG engines, or the latest high pressure direct injection diesel engines with particulate filters where available. The Home Office is planning to go out to consultation to adopt a similar policy by the end of the current year.