asked the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has about which countries require vehicles to display dipped headlights during the hours of darkness (a) while the engine is running and (b) when the vehicle is moving.

The most recent information we have, circulated in October last year by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe working party on road transport, shows that the following countries require dipped headlights to be used in built-up areas at night on moving vehicles:

• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Czechoslovakia
• Federal Republic of Germany
• German Democratic Republic
• Hungary
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Romania
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• Yugoslavia

and the following countries require sidelights or dipped headlights to be used in built-up areas at night, depending on the street lighting and visibility:

• Austria
• Finland
• France
• Italy
• Poland
• Portugal
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

We know of no country which requires headlights to be used at any time on a vehicle which is stationary with the engine running.