§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will include reference to the possibility of recycling batteries by using chargers in his Department's planned consultation document on the safe disposal of batteries.
§ Mr. EggarRechargeable batteries, or accumulators, are among those covered by directive 91/157/EEC—batteries and accumulators containing certain dangerous substances—the implementation of which will be the subject of public consultation by my Department in due course. The directive encourages the separate collection, for controlled disposal or recycling, of batteries and accumulators which contain specified amounts of lead, mercury and cadmium. Implementation of the directive in the Community has been delayed by the lack of an agreed marking system for batteries caught by the directive, but resolution of this matter is expected shortly, and a United Kingdom implementation date of 1 January 1994 for the directive is now planned.