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    Following is a question by the Hon Emily Lau and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (April 6) :

Question:

    The Finance Committee of this Council approved the provision of fundings totalling $720,880,000 to the departments concerned in 2000, 2002 and 2004 respectively for the implementation of programmes to subsidise owners of pre-Euro diesel vehicles (i.e. diesel vehicles registered before April 1995) to retrofit their vehicles with emission reduction (ER) devices so as to improve the air quality.  The Air Pollution Control (Emission Reduction Devices for Vehicles) Regulation was also made in December 2003 to authorise the relevant authorities to refuse to license or cancel the licences of diesel light vehicles not installed with ER devices, and to impose fines on owners who have failed to comply with the installation requirement.  In this connection, will the Executive Authorities inform this Council of:

(a) the current respective numbers of licensed pre-Euro diesel light and heavy vehicles and, among them, the numbers of those installed with ER devices;

(b) the reductions in the daily emissions of nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide by diesel vehicles as a result of the installation of ER devices, and their respective percentages in the total daily emissions of such pollutants from motor vehicles;

(c) the number of complaints or reports received by the relevant authorities since 2000 about the emission of black smoke from diesel vehicles already installed with ER devices, and the reasons for the emission of black smoke from such vehicles; and

(d) the number of licence applications rejected and the number of licences cancelled by the relevant authorities under the above Regulation, as well as the number of persons fined for non-compliance with the installation requirement, together with the total amount of fines involved?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) As at end-January this year, there were about 16 500 licensed pre-Euro light diesel vehicles in Hong Kong, all of which had been retrofitted with particulate reduction devices.  There were about 29,900 licensed pre-Euro heavy diesel vehicles (excluding franchised buses), of which 28,700 (96 per cent) had been retrofitted with catalytic converters.  In addition, the franchised bus companies had retrofitted about 1 400 buses with catalytic converters at their own cost.

(b) The prime objective of retrofitting pre-Euro diesel vehicles with emission reduction (ER) devices is to reduce particulate emissions. After the retrofitting programme, the amount of particulates emitted by diesel vehicles in the urban area each day has been reduced by about 0.3 tonnes, which is equivalent to 21 per cent of the total particulate emissions from all vehicles in the urban area.

    Catalytic converters of the ER devices installed on heavy diesel vehicles can simultaneously reduce the emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide but not nitrogen oxides.  After the retrofitting programme, the daily emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide from these diesel vehicles in the urban area have been reduced by 0.5 tonnes and 1.8 tonnes respectively, or 13 per cent and eight per cent of the total emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide from all vehicles in the urban area.

(c) From January 2000 to end-February this year, the Environmental Protection Department received a total of 220,571 complaints and reports about smoky vehicles, 13.5 per cent (29,811 cases) of which concerned diesel vehicles already installed with particulate reduction devices.

    The emission of black smoke is mainly attributable to the lack of proper repair and maintenance of the engine or components of a vehicle. A vehicle installed with ER devices still needs to be properly repaired and maintained in order to prevent the emission of excessive black smoke.

(d) Since the Air Pollution Control (Emission Reduction Devices for Vehicles) Regulation (the Regulation) came into effect in December 2003 and until end-February this year, a total of 844 pre-Euro light diesel vehicles were found not in compliance with the Regulation during their annual inspections.  Their licences were thus not renewed.  In addition, 64 pre-Euro light diesel vehicles were found to be not compliant with the Regulation on the road and had their licences cancelled as a result.  So far, no one has been fined for non-compliance with the Regulation.

Ends/Wednesday, April 6, 2005

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