UK inquiry into F Gas Regulations

The UK government has launched an inquiry into F-gas emission policies and the future of the F-gas regulations post-Brexit. The inquiry by the Environmental Audit Committee will also look at the UK’s progress on reducing F-gas emissions, and the impact leaving the EU will have on future progress and reporting.

As part of the EU, the UK is bound to the F-gas regulation (517/2014) and its attendant phase down target to reduce HFC use and sales by 79% by 2030. The UK is also party to the UN’s Montreal Protocol which, through the Kigali Amendment, plans to cut HFC use by a similar amount by 2036.

The Committee is inviting submissions on a broad range of questions such as:

• What action the Government needs to take to ensure that the EU’s 2015 F-gas regulation is incorporated into UK law.
• Should the UK go beyond EU regulatory minimums and develop stronger F-gas legislation?
• Which UK body should have oversight of adherence to F-gas legislation and how it could be adequately resourced to ensure compliance?

The inquiry will also consider whether the Government is doing enough to reduce F-gases. It will look at whether there are blockers preventing adoption of existing alternatives to F-gases and if there is potential to develop new cost-effective replacements.

The Committee is seeking submissions (maximum 3,000 words) from all interested parties by 12pm on 6 November. Later submissions will be accepted, it says, but may be too late to inform the first oral evidence hearing.

Written submissions are invited using the form on the inquiry page here.

19-10-2017