§ John ThursoTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to ensure the availability of low sulphur petrol after 1 September in the North East of Scotland and the Highlands and Islands; and if he will make a statement. [174481]
§ John HealeyFollowing the announcement by the Chancellor that a duty differential of 0.5p/1 in favour of sulphur free petrol will apply from 1 September 2004, we anticipate that this will rapidly replace low sulphur petrol. The marketing of sulphur free fuels is a matter for the oil industry, however we do expect that the duty differential will be sufficient to ensure widespread availability across the UK generally. Certainly, early indications from the oil industry are that Scotland will be among the first areas to see the introduction of sulphur-free fuels.