§ Mr. AmosTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures Her Majesty's Government have taken since 1985 to lower the amount of lead in the atmosphere over Britain; and with what results.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe main thrust of the Government's policy has been, and is, to tackle lead in petrol which still accounts for the bulk of lead in air. We reduced the maximum permitted lead content of petrol from 0.40 to 0.15 per litre from 31 December 1985, and have taken a number of steps to encourage the widest possible supply and use of unleaded petrol. In particular the introduction of the differential between the rates of duty on leaded and unleaded petrol has meant that 95-octane unleaded can normally be found some 12p a gallon cheaper than leaded four star.
As a result, airborne lead concentrations have fallen by some 50 per cent. between 1985 and 1988, the latest year for which complete figures are available, and the use of unleaded petrol has risen from 2 per cent. to 28 per cent. of the market within the last year. Vehicle regulations will ensure that uptake continues to rise. Since October 1989 all new models of cars have had to be capable of running on 95-octane unleaded petrol. This requirement will apply to all new cars from October 1990, and from 31 December 1992 all new cars will be fitted with catalysts and will have to use unleaded petrol.