§ Viscount Davidsonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What proposals the Ministry of Defence has to support its critical applications of substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Viscount Cranborne)The Montreal Protocol and EC Regulations 3952/92 will shortly require the cessation of production and supply of ozone depleting substances. The Ministry of Defence as a major user of the substances has recognised the sigificant role it has to play in contributing to the UK's overall programme of compliance. The Ministry of Defence has a small number of critical applications where continued use of the controlled substances is considered essential when70WA assessed against internationally agreed criteria and has decided, in accordance with good environmental practice, to support these essential uses by a conservation policy involving the banking and recycling of the substances. This will ensure that personnel and assets are protected during the transition period between the end of production and the arrival on the market of replacements or alternatives.
It is intended to establish a bank of Montreal Protocol substances at RAF Cardington, Bedfordshire, subject to local planning consent. RAF Cardington is a natural site for the bank as it is the tri-service centre for compressed gases.