§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what percentage of paper used by Government Departments for correspondence with other Departments and Members of Parliament is recycled;
(2) what steps he is taking to encourage Government Departments to use 100 per cent. recycled paper for their correspondence;
(3) what is the estimated amount of paper used by his Department each year for correspondence; what is the total cost; and what is the difference in cost between recycled and non-recycled paper.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe Secretary of State has asked other Government Departments to consider using recycled paper, but it is for individual Departments to determine whether it would be economic and practical to do so. Details of this usage are not kept by my Department.
405WWithin my Department, existing stocks of conventional paper are now being used up. Thereafter all correspondence with be conducted on recycled paper. My Department uses 15 tonnes of paper each year for correspondence at an estimated cost of £14,600. Paper costs vary considerably in relation to quality but my Department expects an estimated annual saving of £4,000 through the use of recycled paper.