§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what tests have been carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory on the efficacy of catalytic converters at(a) 30,000 miles, (b) 40,000 miles, (c) 50,000 miles and (d) 60,000 miles; and if he will publish the results; [32867]
(2) what research has been carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory on the problem of cold start emissions from catalytic converters; [32868]
(3) what research has been carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory on the performance of catalytic converters in service in reducing harmful vehicle emissions. [32866]
§ Mr. NorrisNone. However, the Government recognise that improving catalyst performance and maintaining it under all operating conditions are key factors in securing improvements in air quality. New vehicle standards already in place for 1996–97 will deliver improvements in catalyst warm-up time. As part of the EU discussions on standards for 2000, the Government have made proposals for a cold start test aimed at further reducing warm-up time to within a few seconds, a study of the case for extending durability requirements for new cars from 80,000 km to 160,000 km and the use of on-board diagnostics to monitor emissions performance throughout the life of the vehicle.
§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cars built since 1993 fitted with catalytic converters use super unleaded fuel. [32869]
§ Mr. NorrisAs at April 1995, super unleaded petrol accounted for approximately 4.8 per cent. of total petrol 403W sales. The precise number of cars using super unleaded is not known, although since October 1990 all petrol cars have had to be designed to use premium unleaded petrol, which is universally recommended by manufacturers. Moreover, very few new cars currently on sale in the United Kingdom can derive any benefit from the use of super unleaded petrol.