§ Mr. Dixonasked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made any assessment of the reliability and safety of tyres manufactured by the Semperit company of Austria and sold in the United Kingdom; and. in particular, whether he has any information as to the number of tyres still offered for sale in the United Kingdom which were manufactured before the introduction of improved quality controls by the company in 1977.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe Department has received only one report of a defective Semperit tyre and that was the one reported by the hon. Member himself. The company knows of only two personal injury accidents involving its tyres, and in neither case was a defect in manufacture responsible. On this evidence I do not feel that any further action on my part is called for, although I shall continue to keep the situation under review. The Company tells me that the strict stock criteria it operates should ensure that no pre-1977 tyres are still being offered for sale.