HC Deb 14 November 1988 vol 140 cc496-7W
Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will arrange for regular monitoring and publication of the uptake of unleaded petrol.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

We monitor closely the uptake of unleaded petrol. Regular reports from the industry and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise are provided at meetings of the unleaded petrol group which I chair. We are considering ways in which this information might usefully be published more widely.

Sir Anthony Grant

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the progress being made in changing from leaded to unleaded petrol; what representations he has received on the subject; and what steps are being taken to increase the rate of take-up of unleaded fuel.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

Encouraging progress is being made with the introduction of unleaded petrol. It is now available at some 2,300 petrol stations. The number is continuing to grow rapidly. The obstacles are no longer availability or the price of unleaded petrol. The Chancellor's action in the last Budget ensured that unleaded petrol is now on sale some 6p per gallon below the price of 4-star petrol and comfortably below that of 2-star.

Soon, new models of cars (from October 1989) and new cars of any model (October 1990) will have to be able to run on unleaded petrol. The task in the next few months is to overcome ignorance and apathy. For every motorist now saving 4-6p a gallon while protecting the environment, there are 30 other motorists wasting money and needlessly damaging the environment.

I have received a number of representations on the subject. I chair regular meetings of the unleaded petrol group, at which the oil and motor industries, CLEAR (the Campaign for Lead-Free Air), motoring organisations and consumer bodies are represented.

We have taken steps to encourage the uptake of unleaded petrol including providing publicity material in the form of a general information leaflet, a list and chart of cars which can run on unleaded petrol without adjustment, a map of unleaded petrol stations, posters for display in garage service areas encouraging motorists to have their cars adjusted to run on unleaded petrol, unleaded petrol stickers, information about every new car's capability of using unleaded petrol, general information about unleaded petrol in the Department of Transport's new car fuel consumption booklet which is published twice a year and agreement with the Department of Transport to distribute a leaflet on unleaded petrol with vehicle licence reminders. In addition, there is publication of a DOE guidance note on the appropriate labelling of vehicles; and funding of CLEAR to provide a general information service.

Sir Anthony Grant

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what further studies his Department is undertaking into catalytic converters for vehicles; and if he will make a statement of Government policy on such research.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

It is for industry to develop products which meet standards laid down. The Government's aim in setting vehicle emission standards is to achieve effective reductions, based on the best technical and scientific understanding of abatement technology and impact on the environment.

To this end the Warren Spring and Harwell laboratories, under the Department's air pollution research programme, have studied the emissions of vehicles equipped with catalytic converters and their potential effects on air quality. In conjunction with the Department of Transport, the Department plans next year to carry out a further study of pollutant emissions from vehicles in use. Consideration is being given to how this might include vehicles equipped with catalysts. New information on the actual performance in use of catalytic converters and other approaches to vehicle emission control will be used, as it becomes available, to refine estimates of the potential impact on air quality.

Sir Philip Goodhart

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what instructions he has given for the modification of cars used by his Department so that they can use unleaded petrol

Mr. Chope

The Crown Suppliers (a trading fund of the Property Services Agency) have issued instructions to their regional transport managers that all vehicles which can be converted to run on unleaded petrol should be so converted at the earliest opportunity and no later than the next scheduled service. It is also the Crown Suppliers' policy to replace vehicles with those capable of running on unleaded petrol whenever possible.