§ Mr. WoodTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what legislation exists to restrict the use of chemicals in the dry cleaning industry; and if he will introduce measures to increase regulation. [48627]
§ Angela EagleThe relevant legislation is as follows: The Dry Cleaning Special Regulations 1949; The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 1994; The Environmental Protection (Control of Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer) Regulations 1996 and EC Regulation 3093/94 of 15 December 1994 on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Compliance with these Regulations will ensure that exposure to chemicals in the dry cleaning industry is prevented or, where that is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled and the environmental impact is minimised.
The European Commission has recently submitted proposals for a new regulation on ozone-depleting substances. The proposals extend the controls contained in EC Regulation 3093/94 and would prevent the use of substances such as trichlorotrifluoroethane (CFC 113) in dry cleaning equipment. The Government will shortly be consulting on these proposals.