§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give an undertaking to purchase only ozone-friendly fridges that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons or hydrochlorofluorocarbons for his Department.
§ Mr. CurryThe policy of the Department is not to purchase new fridges containing substances harmful to the ozone layer as set out in the Montreal protocol and its revisions.
When existing fridges containing substances harmful to the ozone layer are to be replaced, fridges which are understood to be ozone friendly will be purchased.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures have been taken to ensure that any ozone-destroying substances in use by his Department identified as controlled waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 do not reach the atmosphere.
§ Mr. CurryThe disposal of controlled waste is governed by the Duty of Care Regulations which came into force on 1 April 1992 under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. These regulations put a responsibility on producers of controlled waste to ensure that it is disposed of safely and legally. There is no Crown immunity from these regulations and the Department takes care to observe them.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many refrigeration and air conditioning systems in his Department are equipped with automatic leak detection systems.
§ Mr. CurryTen per cent. of buildings occupied by MAFF are provided with in-built refrigeration or air conditioning systems. Most installations have been in use612W for five or more years and none are currently equipped with automatic leak detection systems. All such installations are subject to a rigorous maintenance regime, performance is regularly monitored and defects are attended to promptly.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much funding has been allocated or spent to specifically deal with measures to reduce his Department's consumption of ozone-depleting substances.
§ Mr. CurryIt is not possible to say how much money has been spent across the whole Department in reducing consumption of ozone-depleting substances because the programme is funded from many budgets and cannot be separately identified.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which current uses of ozone-depleting chemicals by his Department are considered essential.
§ Mr. CurryWe would not consider any uses for which ozone-friendly alternatives are available and it is the Department's policy to purchase such alternatives wherever possible.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many catastrophic leaks of ozone-depleting substances have occurred within his Department buildings in the past five years.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food by what date his Department's use of ozone-depleting chemicals will conform to European Community regulations on limits on these chemicals.
§ Mr. CurryBoth the Montreal protocol and the EC regulations seek to control the production, but not the use, of substances which deplete the ozone layer. However, the Department is playing its part in helping to phase out these substances by wherever possible not purchasing them.