Written question asked by Huw Irranca-Davies (Labour) on Wednesday, 24 November 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 November 2010. It was answered by Lord Benyon (Conservative) on Thursday, 2 December 2010 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Ozone Depleting Substances

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the proportion of (a) existing public buildings and (b) public buildings under construction which utilise ozone depleting substances in their construction materials.

Answer: In 2009, DEFRA commissioned research into the quantity of ozone-depleting substances present in the UK building stock. This research, which should be published in due course, estimated the total quantity of ozone-depleting substances still present in the UK building stock, but has not explicitly identified the proportion still present in public buildings.The use of ozone-depleting substances in building insulation foams has been banned in the EU since 2004, so these materials are no longer used in the construction of any buildings in the UK.

Secondary information