§ Mr. Home RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will estimate the volume of chlorofluorocarbons which are at present in use in refrigeration units and other domestic and industrial equipment in the United Kingdom.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyWe have no estimate of the volume of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) at present in use. The Montreal protocol, and the European legislation which implements it, restrict the overall supply of CFCs. The European Community Environment Council, in response to a United Kingdom initiative, has called for the protocol to be strengthened so as to reduce supply by 85 per cent. as soon as possible and to eliminate it altogether by the end of the century. This will increasingly encourage the recycling of existing material wherever possible.