HC Deb 29 July 1997 vol 299 cc200-1W
Mr. Tyler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the critical uses of methyl bromide which his Department has evaluated. [11106]

Angela Eagle

The phaseout date for methyl bromide, and the criteria for the critical use exemption after phaseout, will be considered at the ninth meeting of the parties to the Montreal protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, in September. Any evaluation of the critical uses of methyl bromide will depend on the criteria that are set, and the availability of suitable alternatives after phaseout.

Mr. Tyler

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list, by company, the alternatives to methyl bromide which his Department has evaluated. [11107]

Angela Eagle

In 1996, the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food commissioned ADAS to review the use of methyl bromide in horticulture, and to consider what alternatives are available. Its report identifies a range of alternatives which are either being developed, or already being used in the UK, but does not identify the individual companies involved. In April 1997, the United Nations environment programme's technical and economic assessment panel and methyl bromide technical options committee produced a report on alternatives to methyl bromide worldwide. Copies of this report, and the ADAS report, will be placed in the Library shortly.