§ Mr. HurstTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects ultra-low sulphur diesel and ultra-low sulphur petrol will be made readily available at all petrol stations. [159374]
§ Mr. HainUltra-low sulphur diesel has been widely available across the UK since the latter part of 1999. Current information is that it is available at the vast majority of retail petrol outlets in the UK.
The latest estimates produced by my Department are that, as of early April, over 80 per cent. of total UK petrol retail sites were converted to supply ultra-low sulphur petrol (ULSP). This means that ULSP accounts for 94 per cent. of total sales of petrol in the UK. All oil companies in the UK are making supplies of ULSP available to petrol stations in the UK. However, the logistical problems of supplying some of the smaller, more remote stations make it difficult to give a date by which all petrol stations will be selling ULSP.