§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of solvent used by the armed forces for precision cleaning.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonMOD is investigating possible alternatives to ozone-depleting chlorinated solvents currently used for the precision cleaning of delicate instruments, surfaces made of metal, plastic or glass or combinations of materials where cleanliness is of critical importance. Alternative cleaning agents will be introduced into service as soon as their technical suitability has been determined. The amount of ozone-depleting solvents being procured is being reduced by this Department in line with the requirements of the Montreal protocol.