SEVENTY-five MPs have lent their support to an Early Day Motion pressing the Government to support the use of liquefied petroleum gas for vehicles. Simultaneously there have been calls for special tax breaks to encourage fleet use of gas-powered cars.

The EDM was tabled by Helen Brinton, Labour MP for Peterborough, and has received cross-party backing for its calls to encourage the necessary degree of confidence among both LPG suppliers and customers. It claims the Government should: 'Consider reducing excise duties on LPG to the EU minimum for a guaranteed period, and to consider reducing or removing, at no cost to the Exchequer, tax penalties which deter conversion of vehicles to LPG.'

An EDM is a back-bench mechanism for measuring support for policies and initiatives. The motion gets on to the order paper of the House of Commons, but is not debated and cannot be supported by ministers or parliamentary private secretaries.

Calor Gas has developed the EDM's calls in a pre-Budget submission to the Government requesting three specific tax breaks for fleets to boost their conversion to liquefied petroleum gas and compressed natural gas.