§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures her Department has taken to encourage(a) producers and (b) distributors of not-in-kind refrigerants to tender for contracts for the refurbishment of Government buildings; and what (i) communications and (ii) meetings officials of her Department have had with prospective not-in-kind suppliers. [41183]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Department's Greening Government website provides advice to both civil servants and suppliers on a whole range of environmental issues including the use of refrigerants. The Green Guide for Buyers for example calls for the specification of systems free of refrigerants that deplete the ozone layer and, where it is safe, cost effective and technically feasible to do so, also free of substances that have a high global warming potential. The website has been widely promoted at conferences and in journals. It's URL is "http://defraweb/ environment/greening/gghome.htm". Our estate managers do not hold meetings with prospective "not-in-kind" suppliers, preferring to leave this to our consultants134W and contractors who possess the necessary expertise. However, policy officials did meet several suppliers of `not-in-kind' refrigerants during 2001.
§ Mr. JackTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will indicate what her understanding is of whether sections of Article 1 of EC Regulation 2037/2000 as agreed on 29 June 2000, apply to ozone-depleting substances used in refrigerator door insulation material. [39995]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 18 March 2002]: The UK Government's interpretation of Article 1 of EC Regulation 2037–2000 is that it sets out the scope of the legislation and lists the substances that it controls, as well as making clear that it applies to the production, importation, exportation, placing on the market, use, recovery, recycling and reclamation and destruction of these substances. This includes those used for the blowing of insulating foam for refrigeration equipment and to certain activities relating to products and equipment containing those substances.