§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what measures the Government intend to take to render more equitable the burdens of conforming to the Montreal protocol between industrialised nations and developing nations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyA clear message of the London "Saving the Ozone Layer" conference held on 5–7 March was that ways of helping developing countries should be a major feature of the review of the Montreal protocol—which will be initiated at the first meeting of the contracting parties in Helsinki in May—and should be urgently examined in all appropriate international contexts. The protocol already gives low consuming developing countries more time to comply with its controls on chlorofluorocarbons and halons and includes provisions to help developing countries to implement the protocol and gain access to environmentally safe alternative substances and technologies. At the Helsinki meeting, the United Kingdom, the European Community and the other parties will consider how to take these provisions forward.