FLEET operators and car-makers will play a key role in developing environmental technologies for the future as part of the Government's newly-established Cleaner Vehicles Task Force. Co-chaired by Transport Minister Gavin Strang and Ford of Britain chairman Ian McAllister, the new public-private sector partnership will have a wide-ranging brief to promote the use of existing and emerging environmental technologies in vehicles for the new millennium.

The Task Force's objectives include:

The initiative offers further confirmation of the Government's consensual approach to Britain's transport problems and its willingness to consult groups most likely to be affected before legislating. Strang said the Task Force's primary role would be to stimulate the production, sales and marketing of cleaner cars to make environmentally-friendly vehicles the first choice for drivers.

'The Government recognises that going by road is often the only way to travel,' said Strang. 'At the same time, we must all come to terms with the fact that we cannot just keep on going as we have been. That is why the Government has embarked on the greatest ever review of transport in the UK. We need to see cars, vans, lorries and buses in the overall framework of an integrated transport plan which will lead to a truly sustainable policy for the next millennium.'