§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Industry what steps he proposes to take to implement the recommendation of the Committee on Waste Paper Supply that the Government should set an example to other public authorities by including a higher portion of waste paper in their specifications for paper products.
§ Mr. MacGregorWhen purchasing paper and board products Her Majesty's Stationery Office already gives preference to suppliers using the largest percentage of recycled fibre in their goods, price and quality being equal. Following the recommendations of the Committee on Waste Paper Supply, however, discussions are being undertaken with Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the main user Departments with the aim of enabling even greater quantities of recycled fibre to be used, where this is technically possible.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Industry what proportion of pulp used for the paper and board industry comes from waste paper; and how this compares with other European countries for which information is available.
§ Mr. MacGregorWaste paper comprised 52 per cent. by weight of the total waste paper and wood pulp used in the United Kingdom paper and board industry in 1979. The corresponding figures for European countries in 1978, the latest year for which comparable information is available, are as follows.
Waste paper as a percentage of total wood pulp and waste paper consumption by the paper and board industry in 1978. per cent. United Kingdom 51 Belgium and Luxembourg 25 Denmark 59 France 36 Germany, FR 44 Ireland 58 Italy 49 Netherlands 53 Austria 32 Finland 4 Norway 5 Spain 46 Sweden 10 Switzerland 36 Turkey 26 Source: OECD: The Pulp and Paper Industry 1978–1979.
§ Mr. Cormackasked the Secretary of State for Industry what aid has been given by the Government to the paper and board industry in the last five years to assist in the use of waste paper as a raw material.
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§ Mr. MacGregorTo date £17.8 million has been given in grants under the paper and board industry scheme.