§ Mr. Leslie Huckfieldasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what research he has undertaken into the toxicity and ill-health-causing properties of diesel fumes; what conclusions have been reached; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Wilkinsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he intends that the proposed legislation on diesel exhaust emissions shall be related to a nuisance factor on account of the visibility of such emissions, or as a safeguard to health.
§ Mr. Eldon GriffithsThe Medical Research Council has carried out extensive research, but while diesel fumes are a 115W nuisance, no effects on health have been detected. New regulations to reduce emissions of diesel smoke will shortly be laid before the House.
§ Mr. Wilkinsonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will publish details of the latest research on the possibility of diesel fumes as a contributory cause to cancer.
§ Mr. PeytonStudies by the Medical Research Council of conditions in bus garages and road tunnels have produced no evidence that diesel fumes contribute to the incidence of cancer. Further work to check that conclusion is now in progress.