To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent reports he has received about depletion of the ozone layer.

Reports have been received from the European arctic stratospheric ozone experiment (EASOE) and from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. These show large quantities of ozone-depleting chemicals present in the stratosphere, and low concentrations of ozone have been observed over mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere and in the tropics. It is not yet possible to say unequivocally that chemical depletion of ozone is taking place.