Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for Transport what reports he has received that reject tyres have been imported from Italy and other sources into the United Kingdom; how many tyres have been imported and of what types; and if he will take action to stop these imports.
Mrs. ChalkerThe Department received reports earlier this year of two batches of imported car tyres downgraded by the manufacturers. We have no reliable information on the total numbers of tyres involved. In March this year, I announced our proposals on ECE regulation 30 and on minimum tyre tread depths.
Later this year I shall be publishing draft regulations for all new car tyres to comply with the UN ECE regulation 30 performance standard. This will make illegal the sale of these downgraded tyres.