asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the mercury thermometers on Aga ovens will be banned by the proposed European Union regulations concerning mercury. [HL4648]

The proposed restriction prohibits the placing on the market of measuring devices containing mercury for sale to the general public. It makes no distinction on whether the measuring device is marketed on its own or part of another product, so it would apply to the sale of new mercury thermometers on Aga ovens.

However, the proposed restriction does not apply to devices already in use or sold second-hand. Therefore, there is no requirement that thermometers already attached to Aga ovens in people's homes will have to be replaced with non-mercury versions.

The manufacturers of Aga ovens have confirmed that they are aware of the proposed restriction and are working with their suppliers to replace mercury thermometers with appropriate substitutes.