§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the legal benzene limits in petrol in other countries of the world; and what is the legal benzene limit in petrol in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. MoynihanI have been asked to reply.
The benzene content of petrol in the United Kingdom, in common with all the other EC member states, is limited to a maximum of 5 per cent. by volume by EC directive 85/210/EEC. The Department of Energy does not hold information on legal benzene limits in non-EC countries, but we understand that there is no country which imposes a lower legal limit.
§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the level of benzene in(a) four-star petrol, (b) three-star petrol and (c) unleaded petrol.
§ Mr. MoynihanI have been asked to reply.
In 1988 petrol quality surveys in the United Kingdom market suggested a range of benzene contents for leaded petrol of 2.9 to 4.7 per cent. and for unleaded petrol of 3.4 to 4.5 per cent. Three-star petrol is no longer sold in the United Kingdom.