§ Mr. DewarTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will update the answer to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms Harman) of 25 February,Official Report, columns 692–93, relating to unleaded fuel and catalytic converters.
§ Mr. KeyAll new cars manufactured since 1 October 1990 have had to be capable of running on unleaded petrol. Of the 1.927 million tonnes of petrol sold in the month of September 1993 53.7 per cent. was unleaded. The number and proportion of older cars converted to use unleaded petrol is unknown. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders estimates that there are some 2.5 to 3 million cars that cannot be converted out of a total petrol car fleet of some 21 million. Since 31 December 1992 nearly all new petrol-engined cars have been fitted with catalysts. The total number of catalyst car sales to the end of September 1993 was approximately 2.31 million or some 10 per cent. of the total car fleet. The number of car owners who have had a catalyst fitted to their vehicle is unknown, but is estimated to be negligible.