§ Mr. Peter DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many UK vehicles are registered to pay reduced road tax because they use LPG fuel. [108965]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe reduced rate of Vehicle Excise Duty for alternative fuels only applies to vehicles first registered after March 2001. According to DVLA (Driver and Vehicles Licensing Agency) statistics, at the end of September 2002 there were 3,112 cars registered for the reduced rate. DVLA statistics do not distinguish between liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas and hydrogen powered vehicles.
§ Mr. Peter DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to review resources available to the Powershift programme for converting road vehicles to LPG. [108966]
§ Mr. JamiesonFull resources have been allocated to the Powershift programme for 2003–04 to meet all expected demands—as they have been in previous years. Within each financial year my Department continually monitors demand for PowerShift grants to ensure, in the light of other pressures, appropriate resources are available to support the wider use of cleaner fuels such as LPG. As with other Government funded programmes, future resources for PowerShift will be considered in the 2004 Spending Review