§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when Her Majesty's Government will ratify the Montreal protocol.
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§ Mr. MoynihanThe text of the protocol was laid before both Houses on 26 January 1988 and the necessary parliamentary procedures are, therefore, complete for the United Kingdom. We are now consulting the dependent territories and expect this process to be completed in good time to meet the target date for the protocol to enter into force on 1 January 1989. We are also discussing with our European partners a proposed decision that would enable the Community and its member states to ratify the protocol simultaneously.
§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what nations are currently signatories to the Montreal protocol; and which of them have ratified it.
§ Mr. MoynihanThe information is as follows:
At a Diplomatic Conference on 16 September 1987 the Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer was signed by :
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- European Economic Community
- Egypt
- Finland
- France
- Germany, Federal Republic of
- Ghana
- Italy
- Japan
- Kenya
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Panama
- Portugal
- Senegal
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Togo
- United Kingdom
- United States of America
- Venezuela
We understand from the United Nations environment programme that it has since been signed by :
- Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
- Greece
- Israel
- Luxembourg
- Morocco
- Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
So far as we have been informed, the United States is the only country to have ratified the protocol.
§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give figures for the amount by which (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) the European Community will have to cut consumption of chlorofluorocarbons by (a) 1990, (b) 1994 and (c) 1999 to meet the requirements of the Montreal protocol.
§ Mr. MoynihanUnder the Montreal protocol all parties are required by 1990 to freeze consumption of CFCs 11, 12, 113, 114 and 115 at 1986 levels; to reduce their consumption by 20 per cent. by 1994; and by a further 30 per cent. by 1999. The proposed regulation for implementing the protocol envisages that obligations in regard to consumption will he fulfilled by the Community as a whole but complete information about its level of consumption is not yet available. Separate figures are riot available for the United Kingdom or other individual member states.
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§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on (i) the outcome of the European Community Council of Ministers meeting on 21 March regarding implementation of the Montreal protocol, (ii) what implementation programmes have been and will be undertaken by each of the European Community member states and (iii) future plans for consultation among European Community member states.
§ Mr. MoynihanOn the hon. Member's first point, I refer to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Patnick) on 24 March at columns 186–87. Communitywide implementation of the protocol is the subject of a proposed regulation which is being examined by member states and which will be discussed by the Environment Council on 16 June.
§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he plans to request a review of the terms of the Montreal protocol in the light of new scientific data particularly that published by the International Ozone Trends Panel on 15 March; and if he will make a statement.
£'000s 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 DOE n/a n/a n/a n/a 25 48 118 140 171 Met Office n/a n/a n/a n/a 221 164 180 353 n/a NERC n/a 531 493 912 455 443 344 505 n/a SERC 50 100 100 200 850 1,000 2,000 1,100 n/a Note: n/a indicates figures not readily available. SERC current commitments for 1988–89 arc £335,000.
Expenditure by the Department has risen steadily over this period, and we are considering a further increase.