PERFLUOROOCTANE SULFONATES (15552/05)
Letter from the Chairman to Lord Bach,
Minister for Sustainable Farming and Food, Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs
Thank you for your Explanatory Memorandum of
4 January 2006 which Sub-Committee D (Environment and Agriculture)
considered at its meeting on 25 January 2006.
We note that the UK proposals advocated a five-year
time limited derogation on certain applications containing perfluorooctane
sulfonates, whereas the Commission's proposals do not specify
a time limit. We would like to know whether the UK intends to
press for further discussion in this area to ensure the use of
derogations in the Directive would be time limited and not open-ended
as currently proposed. The Committee decided to clear the document
from scrutiny.
26 January 2006
Letter from Lord Bach to the Chairman
Thank you for your letter of 26 January 2006
in which you informed me that the above Explanatory Memorandum
had been cleared from scrutiny by Sub Committee D at its meeting
on 25 January 2006. However you requested clarification on a specific
point.
Our Explanatory Memorandum pointed out that
the Commission proposal was based on work carried out in the UK
and that the UK Government had developed draft proposals for national
regulations prior to the publication of the Commission's proposals.
Given the persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic nature of these
substances I recognise the Committee's concern that the derogations
proposed by the Commission in certain uses are open ended rather
than time limited. Time limited derogations were a key aspect
of the UK proposals for national regulations as the Government
believes that time limited derogations would have been the impetus
for substitution of PFOS with less hazardous substances. This
position on time limited derogations was agreed between Departments
when drafting the initial UK proposals and will therefore form
the core of our negotiating position when the proposal comes up
for discussion in the EU. We are in final negotiations with other
Government Departments on the exact length of these derogations
given more recent evidence in some areas.
13 February 2006
Letter from the Chairman to Lord Bach
Thank you for your letter of 13 February 2006
regarding the above proposal which Sub-Committee D (Environment
and Agriculture) considered at its meeting on 8 March 2006.
We note that the Government are seeking for
time-limited derogations to apply to the certain permitted uses
of perfluorooctane sulfonates envisaged in the proposal. The proposal
has already cleared the scrutiny process but we would be grateful
if you would keep the Committee informed of the outcome of discussions
on the length of the derogation period.
8 March 2006
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