Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to ensure that historic vehicles are protected from changes to (a) fuel standards and (b) other regulations.

The Department continues to ensure the concerns of owners of historic vehicles are reflected in any regulatory changes.

Fuel quality standards in the UK are agreed through the British Standards Institution (BSI) liquid fuel standards committee, which includes representatives from the historic vehicles sector.

The quality of fuel sold in the UK is also ensured through the Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) Regulations 1999. Changes to these regulations are subject to consultation, in which the views of vehicle owners and their representative groups would be sought. This would also be the case for regulatory changes to motor vehicle standards.

For example, when E10 petrol was introduced last September we put in place provisions to ensure the continued availability of E5 petrol; we are also ensuring that current proposals to modernise vehicle standards do not prevent restoration, repairs or legitimate improvements to vehicles, including historic vehicles, or damage to the businesses involved in such activities.