Leaded Petrol (Hansard, 2 March 1998)

§ Mr. Letwin
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy in respect of the use of leaded petrol by vintage and veteran vehicles; and if he will make a statement. [32033]

§ Ms Glenda Jackson
Despite concerns raised by owners of vintage and veteran vehicles about an EU proposal to ban leaded petrol from 1 January 2000, in practice very few old vehicles are unable to operate on unleaded petrol. Lead was not added to petrol until the 1920s and came into widespread use only after the second world war; it is not, therefore, a prerequisite for earlier vehicles. Nevertheless, the oil industry is developing a special grade of petrol for these and later vehicles which does not have the disadvantages to health that are attributable to lead. This grade of petrol is expected to be widely available from 1 January 2000.
To supplement this, the Government have negotiated a derogation for an on-going supply of leaded petrol, to a limit of 0.5 per cent. of total petrol sales, to be distributed through specialist interest groups. The Government will be liaising with organisations representing the interests of classic/historic vehicle owners and with the oil industry to ensure a smooth implementation of this provision.

§ Mr. Letwin
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment his Department has made of the level of pollution caused by leaded petrol relative to that caused by diesel. [32031]

§ Ms Glenda Jackson
The Government regularly assess pollution caused by road transport, having regard to the composition of the vehicle fleet and the emission standards which apply to vehicles of different types and ages. It is clear that the combustion of leaded petrol is still the largest source of airborne lead in most parts of the country, although emissions are declining as sales of leaded petrol decrease. There are no significant emissions of lead from diesel vehicles. Emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from petrol vehicles are also higher than those from diesel equivalents. On the other hand diesel vehicles give rise to larger quantities of nitrogen oxides and particulates.