Liam Fox (Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, Defence; Woodspring, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requirements are placed on vehicles in the British armed forces by EU environmental regulations.

Bob Ainsworth (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Ministry of Defence; Coventry North East, Labour)

The EU environmental regulation that places specific requirements on the vehicles of the UK armed forces is Regulation (EC) No 715/2007. This regulation establishes common technical requirements for the type approval of motor vehicles and replacement parts with regard to their emissions. In addition, it lays down rules for in-service conformity, durability of pollution control devices, on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems, measurement of fuel consumption and accessibility of vehicle repair and maintenance information. It applies to vehicles whose mass does not exceed 2,610 kg.

It is our policy to comply with all relevant UK, EU and overseas legislation and, where granted specific exemptions from legislation, standards and arrangements are introduced that are, so far as reasonably practicable, at least as good as those required by legislation.