§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Christchurch and Lymington, Official Report, 15 March, c. 105, if he will now make a further statement about the comparative cost and effectiveness of reducing atmospheric lead pollution as between filter devices fixed to the exhausts of motor vehicles and the proposed method of altering the composition of petroleum fluid.
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§ Mrs. ChalkerA future policy of fitting lead filters could be implemented probably about five years more quickly than a policy requiring low-octane lead-free petrol for new vehicles.
The main costs as annual vehicle production and running costs are as follows:
Filters incorporated in stainless steel exhausts Vehicles designed for lead free Vehicle production costs £75 million £75 million 280 million gallons Additional petrol consumption Nil (=£475m. at £1.70 per gallon). Note: Assumes 1.5 million new vehicles each year and current petrol consumption figures.
Some savings which are difficult to quantify are in each case: stainless steel exhaust systems incorporating filters would last about twice as long and would have a trade-in value. Lead filters would be equally effective at reducing other particulates such as carbon. The increase in the requirement for crude oil would be less than the increase in petrol consumption giving rise to savings at the refineries of about £100 million.