§ Mr. TylerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice to local education authorities and to schools his Department has given on the use of the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos in proprietary products. [129992]
§ Ms Estelle Morris[holding answer 10 July 2000]: Proprietary insecticides whose active ingredient is Chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate, continue to be available for use within schools and in school grounds. However, the HSE/DETR, MAFF and the Advisory Committee on Pesticides are currently looking at the implications for the use of these products in the UK, following the recent American restrictions on their use.
The precautionary procedures for dealing with risks from pesticides do not depend on special instructions being issued to schools. They rely on: approved uses for products; instructions for use, on the product and the packaging; and the design of suitable containers for the products.