§ 70. Mr. TredinnickTo ask the Lord President of the Council, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) of 16 July, Official Report, columns 430–31, if he will make a statement on the progress of the experiment in the use of recycled paper for House of Commons stationery.
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweA selection of recycled stationery is now available from the Serjeant at Arms stores. The Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee will 20 be considering the results of this experiment in due course. My own view is that we should seek to proceed on the assumption that recycled paper will become the norm.
§ Mr. TredinnickI am grateful to my right hon. and learned Friend for his reply. I am sure that the decision to offer recycled paper has been widely welcomed in the country because it shows that the House is setting a good example. Will he give an assurance to both sides of the House that the stationery will be available in all sizes so that the experiment can be conducted properly? Can he give some indication of hon. Members' response to this initiative and can he say what initial demand appears to be?
§ Sir Geoffrey HoweI have some sympathy with my hon. Friend's point of view. He will recollect that the decision taken by the Accommodation and Administration Sub-Committee on 21 May this year was to proceed on an experimental basis along the lines that I have described. As I said in my original reply, I should like us to proceed to a more general basis than that, but we shall have to await the first report on the experiment. I shall take into account the matters that my hon. Friend has raised.