HC Deb 15 July 1992 vol 211 cc842-4W
Mr. Dafis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many times the Government have utilised the powers to prevent emissions of ozone-depleting substances from industrial processes since the passing into law of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Mr. Maclean

The Environmental Protection Act (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1991 set out the industrial processes and the main substances to be controlled under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

The regulations are enforced by HM inspectorate of pollution and local authorities which are required to ensure that industry uses best available techniques not entailing excessive cost for preventing, or minimising the release of prescribed substances. The substances prescribed for release into the air includes oxides of nitrogen, organic compounds and halogens and their compounds, which are ozone-depleters.

Provisional figures for the first nine months since the regulations came into force show that some 3,000 applications had been received in England and Wales. Details of all these applications are not held centrally.

Mr. Dafis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to introduce a mandatory recovery scheme for the recycling of chlorofluorocarbons.

Mr. Maclean

The Government have already put in place legislation to control the environmentally damaging disposal of controlled waste. In most cases, CFCs become controlled wastes when they are removed from equipment during maintenance or on disposal of equipment containing them. Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 makes it illegal to dispose of controlled wastes in a manner likely to cause pollution to the environment or harm to human health.

Mr. Dafis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment who will be representing his Department at the forthcoming meeting to be held in Geneva between 8 to 17 July to review the working of the Montreal protocol; and what papers or oral submissions his Department will be presenting for consideration at the meeting.

Mr. Maclean

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave yesterday to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) in which I outlined the United Kingdom and EC's proposals for bringing forward the phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, halons and 1,1,1 trichloroethane and for control of hydrochloro-fluorocarbons. My Department is being represented by five officials at the Geneva meeting.

Mr. Dafis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to utilise the chlorine loading method when assessing the potential effect of HCFCs on the ozone layer.

Mr. Maclean

The advantages and limitations of the chlorine loading potential method for estimating the impact of ozone-depleting substances were detailed in the 1990 and 1991 reports of the Department's stratospheric ozone review group. The Department will continue to use the most appropriate methods according to the best scientific information available, including chlorine loading potential.

Mr. Dafis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the estimated production and release levels for CFCs, methyl chloraform and halons in the United Kingdom from the present to 1 January 1996 in terms of thousands of tonnes.

Mr. Maclean

This information is not available.

Mr. Dafis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review the effectiveness of the Government-supported ICI recycling scheme for recovering CFCs.

Mr. Maclean

There are a number of companies in the United Kingdom that offer CFC recycling facilities. It is for the operators of each scheme to determine its effectiveness.

Mr. Dafis

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research work has been undertaken by his Department about the atmospheric behaviour of the CFC substitute HFC 134a and how it is likely to be broken down.

Mr. Maclean

The Department supports studies of the atmospheric behaviour and degradation of HFC 134a and other potential CFC substitute compounds under a collaborative programme by the Harwell laboratory and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The compound is broken down in the atmosphere by the hydroxyl radical and by reaction with oxygen. The results of the studies will be published, and will improve estimates of the impact of HFC 134a as a greenhouse gas and identify breakdown products which may have a role in lower atmosphere pollution.