To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to take into account the material used, and conclusions reached by, the study commissioned from Earth Resources Research Ltd. by Friends of the Earth into the financial and environmental costs of such vehicles in his commissioned research into company-assisted travel.
The professional research commissioned by the Department is based on surveys of the travelling public and it would be inappropriate to incorporate material from other studies. The question of company car taxation is a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer. However, in so far as the research by Earth Resources Research Ltd. affects my Department's responsibilities, I shall be happy to take its findings into account.