§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to the oral statement by the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Miss Johnson) of 24 April 2001,Official Report, column 217, if he will set out the basis of the calculations for the cost per tonne of carbon saved for (a) biodiesel and (b) road fuel gases compared with ultra-low sulphur petrol. [159992]
§ Mr. HillAs my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury emphasised in her 24 April statement, the primary benefit of biodiesel is the carbon saved compared to fossil diesel, whereas that of road fuel gases is the improved air quality. Therefore, the Government do not seek to compare or base decisions on the two types of fuel on the basis of the relative carbon saving and their costs.
The carbon cost estimates for biodiesel from oilseed rape quoted by my hon. Friend are based on the estimated cost of production, and the estimated greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil diesel emissions, including greenhouse gases emitted from the use of agricultural machinery, fertilisers and pesticides, and from the extraction, production and transportation of biodiesel.