HC Deb 29 June 1992 vol 210 cc402-3W
Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will undertake to prevent an increase in United Kingdom production or release to the atmosphere of hydrochlorofluorocarbons; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Leigh

The Government have already agreed that the EC should press for controls on production and use of hydrochlorofluorocarbons. It is envisaged that the matter will also be discussed when the Montreal protocol is reviewed in November 1992. We will be seeking to obtain agreement to limit production to the minimum necessary to meet demand for hydrochlorofluorocarbons in uses where ozone-benign alternatives are not available.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the approximate total production of hydrochlorofluorocarbons in the United Kingdom for each year from 1986 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Leigh

Information for 1986 to 1991 is not available. Statistics of United Kingdom production have since been supplied to the Commission of the European Communities in accordance with the terms of EC regulation 594/91, but the information is commercially sensitive and not available for publication.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the latest available yearly export figures for HCFC22; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Leigh

The information is not available.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the companies with which he has had discussions in relation to ozone depletion or ozone-depleting substances; what advice his Department gives to industry on the environmental impact of hydrochlorofluorocarbons; if he will list planned future meetings with user industries; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Leigh

Officials of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of the Environment hold regular meetings with producers and users of ozone-depleting substances, including hydrochlorofluorocarbons, to exchange information on future requirements, timetables for phasing out production and the availability and take-up of alternatives. My noble colleague Baroness Denton of Wakefield will also be discussing these matters with a producer of ozone-depletiong substances in July.

The Department advises industry that hydrochlorofluorocarbons still have potential to deplete the ozone layer and should therefore be used only in applications where completely ozone-benign alternatives are not available and should be recycled wherever possible.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will give the most recent figures for the amount of(a) methyl chloroform, (b) chlorofluorocarbons and (c) hydrochlorofluorocarbons used in each of the following sectors (i) refrigeration and air conditioning, (ii) solvents, (iii) foams and (iv) medical aerosols; and if he will make a statement;

(2) if he will list by sector and application the essential uses of ozone-destroying chemicals identified by his Department; if he will estimate the tonnage per year that is required by each sector; if he will make a statement.

Mr. Leigh

Information on current usage of ozone-depleting substances is not available in the form requested and the applications for which the use of these substances will remain essential in the longer term have yet to be identified.

However, my Department has commissioned Touche Ross to carry out a study into the current and future pattern of use of ozone-depleting substances in solvent cleaning and the Department of the Environment has commissioned a similar study in relation to the refrigeration and air conditioning sector. The studies will examine current usage, the extent to which replacement has already taken place and how the pattern of use will change by the end of the century, paying special attention to the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. They will identify areas where currently no suitable alternative is available and how much of the probable continuing demand can be met through recycling. The studies will pay particular attention to the period up the end of 1995 as the United Kingdom and its Community partners have agreed to press for all signatories to the Montreal protocol to phase out ozone-depleting substances by then, subject to exemptions for essential uses.

The consultants have been asked to report their findings by the end of September and both reports will be published in due course. The report on an earlier similar study covering halon uses has been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Cryer

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the quantity of chlorofluorocarbons exported from the United Kingdom in 1990 and 1991.

Mr. Leigh

[holding answer 25 June 1992]: I confirm the answer that I gave on 11 March 1992 that the information is not published for reasons of commercial confidentiality.