§ Mr. Cyril Smithasked the Secretary of State for Transport what are the British Safety Standards for car tyres; and what steps his Department is taking to make sure that all tyres imported into the United Kingdom, fitted or unfitted, conform to those standards.
463W
§ Mr. HoramBritish Standard BS AU 50 part 1, section 1c 1976 lays down load, speed and marking requirements for first-life car tyres. British Standard BS AU 144b governs the procedure for remoulding tyres, and BS AU 159a lays down repair procedures for both first-life and remoulded tyres.
These are standards specified by the British Standards Institution for voluntary application by manufacturers. So far as the requirements of the law are concerned, it is already an offence under the Road Traffic Acts to fit or sell unsuitable car tyres, whether home manufactured or imported, and from 1st August this year new cars, including imported cars, will have to be fitted with tyres that have been type-approved in accordance with the requirements of Regulation 30 of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.