§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will take steps to encourage and assist industry to develop alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons;
(2) what provisions there are under his Department's enterprise initiative programme for the chemical industry to receive assistance for the development of alternatives to ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons.
§ Mr. AtkinsAssistance to companies which is available within the enterprise initiative is described in the White Paper "DTI—the department for Enterprise", presented on 12 January (Cm. 278) and in the enterprise initiative booklets, copies of which have been placed in the Library. Chemical companies within the relevant eligibility criteria should make full use of this assistance.
Companies themselves are, of course, best placed to assess the implications of changes in their markets. The Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer gives encouragement to the commercial development of alternatives and I understand that industry, including users of controlled substances, is doing this.