§ Mr. Dobsonasked the Minister of Transport, following his Department's evidence to the Armitage inquiry acknowledging that diesel fumes may be carcinogenic, if his Department will draw up a programme for the progressive reduction of the size of diesel engines used in urban areas, and for the reintroduction of trolley buses or trams for public transport.
§ Mr. FowlerThe environmental effect of diesel-engined vehicles is one of the matters currently being considered by the inquiry on lorries, people and the environment under Sir Arthur Armitage. However, diesel smoke is already subject to statutory limits, and there is no evidence of carcinogenic effects on human beings from current concentrations. The question of reintroducing trolley buses and trams is a matter for passenger transport operators in the first instance.