§ Mr. Hanleyasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the agreement on motor cycle noise reached at the European Community environment council on 24 November; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe scope of the Commission's original proposals was set out in a Department of Transport memorandum in November 1984 (9148/84). Despite the two-year delay in reaching agreement, the Council has agreed a number of significant improvements to the Commission's original proposals. The table compares the Council agreement with the current limits and the Commission's proposals. The agreement also provides for a Community standard to be prepared on replacement silencers.
The agreement reflects a Community policy to make motor cycle manufacturers improve their product so as to keep in step with the progress being made by car and lorry manufacturers to reduce noise at source, whilst improving no threat whatsoever to the traditional air-cooled machine.
It is our intention, as soon as the directive is formally adopted by the Council, to prepare draft amendments to the construction and use regulations so as to make the new limits applicable at the due dates to new machines registered in Britain. We will consult representative organisations on the draft amending regulations in the usual way.
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Category of Motorcycle (cc) Limit Values (dB(A)) Application Dates (1 October except 2) Stage I Stage II New Type Approvals All new registrations New Type Approvals All new registrations Current limit (adjusted to new test procedure) Commission's proposals1 24 November agreement1 Proposed Agreed Proposed and Agreed Proposed Agreed Proposed Agreed 80 78 77 77 1987 1988 1990 1995 1993 1998 1995 80 125 80 80 79 1989 1995 end of 19942 1998 end of 19962 125 175 83 175 350 85 350 500 83 82 82 1988 1995 1993 1998 1995 500 84 1 These limits are reduced by 2dB(A) at stage II