Ozone Depletion (Hansard, 23 February 1993)

§ Mr. Chris Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to inform the public about ozone depletion levels over the United Kingdom and the northern hemisphere for the winter and spring of 1992–93.

§ Mr. Maclean
Details of ozone levels over the United Kingdom and the northern hemisphere this winter and spring will be published in the autumn in the next report by the Department's stratospheric ozone review group. Dobson spectrophotomer data would be made available through the Meteorological Office in the event of significant deviations from the normal range of winter and spring ozone levels.

§ Mr. Chris Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research his Department is funding to monitor the rate of ozone depletion over the United Kingdom for the winter and spring of 1992–93.

§ Mr. Maclean
The Department has supported atmospheric ozone measurements at Lerwick since 1991 and will continue to do so throughout the winter and spring of 1992–93 and beyond. In addition, the Department also supports the development of methods for monitoring ground level UVB irradiation at Reading university.

§ Mr. Chris Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the latest available information on ozone depletion over the United Kingdom and northern hemisphere for the winter of 1992–93.

§ Mr. Maclean
The latest estimate of the average depletion of the ozone layer at British latitudes, based on the 1992 WMO/UNEP scientific assessment of ozone depletion, is 8 per cent. per decade in winter and early spring. I am advised by the Cambridge ozone research co-ordinating unit and the Meteorological Office that the levels of ozone measured over the United Kingdom during the current winter are consistent with the WMO/UNEP assessment of long-term depletion, but still within the previously observed ranges for the time of year.

§ Mr. Simon Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the current ozone depletion levels for the United Kingdom.

§ Mr. Maclean
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) earlier today.

§ Mr. Simon Hughes
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how often the levels of ozone depletion are measured over the United Kingdom; and how the figures are made publicly available.
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§ Mr. Maclean
Total ozone measurements are made daily when meteorological conditions permit by the United Kingdom Meteorological Office and the results submitted to the provisional centre for the World Meteorological Organisation's ozone mapping project. The Department supports two ozone profile measurements per week at Lerwick and the results are disseminated through the scientific literature and by the reports of the Department's stratospheric ozone review group. I would also refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) earlier today.