§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much it had cost to comply with the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulation as of 1 October. [142595]
§ Mr. MorleyWhen the Regulatory Impact Assessment was carried out in 1998 it was estimated that the total cost of compliance would be in the region of £370 million. However the actual costs are not known as most of the compliance is being achieved through industry self-regulation.
The Government have provided around £46 million to local authorities to assist them to comply with the waste part of the EC Regulation on ozone depleting substances.
§ Mr. WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what environmental benefits have been achieved through complying with the Ozone Depleting Substances Regulation. [142597]
§ Mr. MorleyThrough the continued efforts of the member states under EC Regulation 2037/2000 and other Parties to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the ozone layer, there has been a decline in the amount of chlorine in the upper and lower atmosphere. This is a good indicator of when the stratospheric ozone layer will recover. At the present rate the ozone layer is expected to start recovering by the middle of the century.
If action had not been taken under EC Regulation 2037/2000 and the Montreal Protocol the ozone layer would have continued to be destroyed, resulting in more ultra violet radiation reaching the ground, which would have had a detrimental affect on plant and animal life.
In the UK, the increase in ultra violet radiation could result in increases in skin cancer and eye cataracts as well a damage to marine life, which also form part of the food chain.
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