§ Mr. SayeedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 25 March 2002,Official Report, column 717W, what conclusions have been reached by the Sustainable Procurement Group on enabling Government departments to work more closely with their suppliers with the intention of notifying suppliers more effectively of the Government's view of hydrofluorocarbons as a non-sustainable technology. [71451]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Secretary of State has established a high level inter-departmental Sustainable Procurement Group to look at how sustainable development can be more fully embedded into central-government procurement. One angle is that we are trying to ensure that procurement practitioners comply fully with Government policy and ensure that Government procurement properly supports sustainable development. That would include Government policy on HCFC/HFC free products wherever possible.
HFCs are not sustainable in the long term—the Government believes that continued technological developments will mean that HFCs may eventually be able to be replaced in the applications where they are used.
Guidance to Departments is provided in the action sheets on "Climate Change" and "Ozone Depleting Substances" in the Green Guide for Buyers, available on www.sustainable-development.gov.uk. This is:
1. No purchase of products or equipment containing ozone depleting substances such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), halons, carbon tetrachloride, 111 trichloroethane and bromochloromethane, which are banned or being phased out under EC Regulation.
273W2. Products should be free of gaseous and non-gaseous substances that contribute to climate change where it is safe, cost-effective and technically feasible to do so. Substances with a high global warming potential which should be avoided wherever practicable include HFCs—used in refrigerants and fire extinguishing systems.