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Leaded Fuel
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps his Department is taking to (a) advise consumers of the removal of leaded fuel from the market and (b) assist owners of cars where conversion is uneconomic to dispose of their vehicles appropriately or support their continued use. [89083]
Ms Glenda Jackson: Since December 1998 over 3.5 million leaflets have been made available to inform motorists using leaded fuel that they will have several alternatives available to ensure that they can continue to use their cars after the general removal of leaded fuel from the market by 1 January 2000. The Government will shortly be launching a further publicity campaign to reinforce this message. Information leaflets are already being provided with Vehicle Excise Duty payment reminders and these will be followed by advertisements in the national press and the provision of further information leaflets at MOT garages and at filling stations. Information will also be available on the DETR site on the internet.
Most cars will be able to run on lead replacement petrol (LRP) without adjustment to their engines. LRP will become widely available at pumps from the autumn with a duty rate set by the Chancellor some 3.67p per litre
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lower than that of leaded petrol. Alternatively, where LRP is not available, motorists will be able to buy special additives in bottles or syringe-like applicators for use with the grade of unleaded petrol (super or premium) recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.
Many cars could alternatively be switched to ordinary unleaded petrol, with no alteration to the engine or with only a simple adjustment to the ignition timing, the cost of which could be recovered through lower fuel costs. In a relatively few cases where motorists often use their cars for prolonged heavy motorway driving or for towing they may find they need to have their engines modified. However, the vast majority of cars will not need this extreme modification and independent advice should be obtained before deciding whether this is necessary.
Mr. Stunell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) what assessment he has made of the environmental costs and benefits of alternative refrigerant gases in the next generation of installed equipment; and if he will make a statement; [89254]
Mr. Meale:
My Department has carried out several assessments of alternatives to the use of ozone depleting substances such as CFCs. Alternatives to CFC refrigerants include HFCs, which are potent greenhouse gases, ammonia and hydrocarbons. While ammonia and hydrocarbons benefit from not being greenhouse gases, they are either toxic or highly flammable. Nevertheless, in suitably designed systems, they may be used for many refrigeration applications. Energy efficiency is an important factor in determining overall greenhouse gas
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emissions from the use of refrigeration systems, and is generally comparable for well designed systems using HFCs, ammonia or hydrocarbons as refrigerants.
Emissions of HFCs used as refrigerant gases were 0.2 million tonnes of carbon-equivalent in 1995 and are currently projected to rise to 1.3 million tonnes of carbon-equivalent in 2010. This increase in emissions is equivalent to 0.5 per cent. of total UK emissions of the basket of six greenhouse gases in 1990. These projections assume the increased use of alternative refrigerants in some applications. The Government are developing a UK climate change programme which will address both their legally binding target of 12.5 per cent. reduction in overall greenhouse gas emissions by 2008-12, and the domestic goal of a 20 per cent. reduction in CO 2 emissions.
Mr. Green:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he has taken to encourage the use of non-HFC refrigerants inside Government buildings; and if he will make a statement. [90061]
Mr. Meale:
My Department issued a model improvement statement for greening government operations in May 1998. Since then Government departments have been adopting and adapting the model to meet their own special circumstances and develop further their environmental strategies. Among other things, the model statement promotes switching from HFCs to environmentally preferable substitutes having a low or zero global warming potential. Advice on suitable alternatives is given in DETR's "Green Guide for Buyers" and other guidance which can be found on our website.
Caroline Flint:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list for each airport in the United Kingdom the percentage increase in passenger volume for the last year for which figures are available. [89385]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The most recent year for which Civil Aviation Authority data are available is 1998. The absolute and percentage increases in 1998 over 1997 for each UK airport are listed.
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(2) what assessment he has made of the projected impact of the use of HFCs as refrigerant gases on the United Kingdom's target for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; and if he will make a statement. [89256]
(1) Sheffield City began reporting June 1997
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Caroline Flint:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what estimate he has made of the number of passengers from (a) the UK and (b) the Yorkshire and Humberside Region flying to destinations (i) in the USA, (ii) in Europe and (iii) elsewhere in (1) 1978, (2) 1988 and (3) 1998. [89390]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
Estimates of passengers originating in the Yorkshire and Humberside region and travelling to the United States, Europe and elsewhere are not regularly produced by the Civil Aviation Authority. Estimates of passengers flying from airports in the
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Yorkshire and Humberside region, which are Leeds, Bradford and Humberside, to these destinations are available. Data for 1978, 1988 and 1998 are listed in the table.
Sources:
CAP 552 Tables 10.1 and 12
CAP 424 Tables 3.15 and 3.16
UK Airports 1998 Tables 2.2 and 12
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| Year | Yorkshire and Humberside | Total United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 2,653,000 | 39,123,000 |
| 1997 | 4,476,000 | 61,141,000 |
Sources:
CAP 690 Tables 71 and 72
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