HC Deb 07 November 2002 vol 392 c781W
Mr. Todd

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce fiscal incentives to encourage consumers to purchase and use combined electric and petrol engine powered vehicles. [79409]

John Healey

The Government have introduced fiscal incentives for the purchase of combined electric and petrol powered vehicles through discounts in vehicle excise duty and company car tax.

Furthermore, the Government are also promoting the use of cleaner fuels through schemes such as the PowerShift programme, which offers grants for motorists to buy or convert vehicles which run on LPG, natural gas or electricity.

Ann Winterton

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal incentives he has made available for the wider use of alternative fuels for motor vehicles. [78229]

John Healey

In successive Budgets, the Chancellor has introduced a number of initiatives to promote the use of cleaner fuels. These include duty differentials for road fuel gases and bio-diesel, discounts to vehicle excise duty for cars using cleaner fuels, and the environment-focused changes to the company car tax system.

Furthermore, the Government continues to promote the use of cleaner fuels through schemes such as the PowerShift programme, which offers grants for motorists to buy or convert vehicles which run on LPG, natural gas or electricity, and the Green Fuel Challenge which is supporting projects for the development of biogas, ethanol and hydrogen through duty reliefs.