§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 2 November,Official Report, column 86 to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith), what ozone-friendly alternatives were considered in the construction of the channel tunnel; if he will recommend that the bi-national intergovernmental commission and safety authority reconsider the use of ozone-destroying substances in the sealed tunnel cooling system; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanAt present no suitable ozone-friendly substances have been developed, although it is envisaged that advances in fire extinguishing and cooling substances will eventually allow Eurotunnel to replace the materials now available. As indicated in my answer to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury, Eurotunnel has been required to design a cooling system to accept without great modification the possible replacement of HCFC 22 by more ozone-friendly fluids which become available.