UNLEADED PETROL (Hansard, 14 January 1985)

§ Lord Skelmersdale

The Council of Environment Ministers agreed at their meeting on 6th December on the text of a new Directive on the lead and benzene content of petrol. The Council could not adopt the directive formally at that meeting because the opinion of the European Parliament had not then been received.

The Directive as now agreed requires that unleaded petrol should be introduced in all member states no later than 1989. It may be introduced on the market of a member state earlier. It will have a minimum octane rating of 95 RON/85 MON at the pump, although a second, lower grade of unleaded petrol may be sold in addition. Member states are invited to use measures they think appropriate to promote the use of unleaded petrol. A limit of 5 per cent. is placed on the benzene content of petrol from 1989.

One question still to be resolved is the date, or dates, from which member states would be able to require new cars to be capable of running on unleaded petrol. This requirement is contained in the Commission's separate proposals for a new directive for tighter emissions controls. Some progress was also made on this question at the 6th December Council meeting.

The new petrol-lead directive also requires all member states to reduce the lead content of their leaded petrol for cars that need it—to 0.15 grammes per litre—as soon as they think it appropriate. The Government's decision to reduce petrol-lead to this level in the United Kingdom from the end of 1985 was of course announced in 1981.

863WA

We are very pleased with the result. It is just 18 months since the United Kingdom, supported by the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, first called for unleaded petrol to be introduced throughout the Community. We are now looking at the detailed arrangements for the introduction of unleaded petrol in this country, which we hope will take place before 1989 if the oil companies see a market for it.