§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether he supports the CO standards proposed in the draft EC directive on technical inspection of motor vehicles;
(2) whether he intends the 3.5 per cent. CO standard in the draft EC directive to be extended to roadside spot checks;
(3) what steps he proposes to take to encourage agreement on the draft EC directive on technical inspection of motor vehicles;
(4) what information he has regarding the exhaust emission standards proposed in the draft EC directive on technical inspection of motor vehicles.
§ Mr. ChopeI refer the hon. Member to the explanatory memorandum on the Commission proposal (7753/91, COM(91) 244), dated 23 September. The in-service CO testing standard proposed by the Commission is 3.5 per cent. for modern conventional petrol-engined cars and light goods vehicles, which is also the current EC prescribed design limit for new engines.
The 4.5 per cent. CO standard which has just been introduced into the MOT test is based on the EC type approval limit, including the 1 per cent. manufacturing tolerance allowed for engines coming off the production line. That standard is realistic for vehicles in service, and brings about a significant reduction in pollution caused by excessive emissions from badly tuned engines. We shall be monitoring the results of emission-checking very closely to help us to make a more informed judgment on the merits of the proposal from the Commission, on which discussion in the EC has not yet started.
The 4.5 per cent. standard applies to petrol-engined cars and light goods vehicles first used after 1 August 1983, and compliance can be enforced at roadside spot checks. There are no immediate plans to apply different standards, but the longer-term intention is to tighten standards further.