§ Mr. Peter DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many United Kingdom petrol stations are exempt from vapour recovery regulations by way of annual turnover falling below the exemption limit. [65247]
§ Mr. MeacherI have been asked to reply.
In accordance with Directive 94/63/EC Stage I, petrol vapour recovery has been rolled out in the UK over the past seven years. The final stage in the implementation of the Directive is 31 December 2004. The controls will then apply to all petrol stations in the UK with an annual throughput greater than 100m3. In 1998 it was estimated that this derogation would exempt approximately 136 sites in the UK. However, the total number of petrol stations in the UK since 1998 has decreased, from 13,758 to 13,043 in 2000. As petrol station closures often have a disproportionate impact on the smaller sites, it is likely that the number of petrol stations covered by the derogation has decreased since the data were gathered.
The directive also contains an option for member states to exempt larger sites, those with an annual throughput of less than 500m3, if located in an area where vapour emissions are unlikely to contribute significantly to environmental or health problems. My Department and the devolved Administrations are currently looking at applying the derogation in the UK.