HL Deb 01 April 2003 vol 646 cc126-8WA
Lord Elton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

(a) when Cabinet Office vehicles were converted to use both petrol and liquid petroleum gas; (b) what was the cost of conversion for each type of vehicle; (c) how much of each type of fuel has since been used by converted vehicles; and (d) what has been the average cost per mile of the fuel used by each type of vehicle before and after conversion. [HL2195]

The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston)

I refer the noble Lord to the letter written to him by Mr Nick Matheson, chief executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Letter from Nick Matheson, Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency, dated 1 April 2003.

The right honourable Lord Macdonald of Tradeston, Minister for the Cabinet Office, has asked me in my capacity as the chief executive responsible for the Government Car and Despatch Agency to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the number of Cabinet Office vehicles converted to use both petrol and liquid petroleum gas (LPG); the cost of these conversions; the amount of each type of fuel used; and the average cost per mile of the fuel used by each vehicle before and after conversion.

There are three vehicles provided to Cabinet Office, a car and two light vans, that run on both petrol and LPG. The car came into service in 2000 and the vans in June 2002. These vehicles were purchased already converted by the manufacturer to run on dual fuel so there were no after-purchase conversion costs incurred by this agency. A before and after comparison of running costs would be unhelpful and misleading because the vehicles did not replace similar models.

All dual fuel vehicles switch automatically between petrol and LPG during their use as determined by their fuel management systems. It is impossible therefore to say with any accuracy what consumption against each type of fuel is. However since February 2002 I have spent £2,461 on petrol and £2,105 on LPG. There are two reasons for the apparently high petrol costs. Firstly, the two LPG vans were introduced in the summer of 2002 and had to run on petrol only for the first 3,000 miles for technical reasons and secondly, a litre of petrol costs roughly twice as much as a litre of LPG at the pump.

I am constantly looking at ways to lessen the impact of our operations on the environment. In addition to the three vehicles mentioned above I also provide two electric-powered light vans and a hybrid petrol/electric car to the Cabinet Office. All our electric and duel fuel light vans are registered with the City of Westminster's environmentally friendly vehicle scheme. This agency also participates in the THINK @bout London electric car project. This vehicle also operates from the Cabinet Office.