§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the reasons why his Department's policy statement on green housekeeping implies that(a) some use of hardwoods and (b) some use of peat, may continue.
§ Mr. MacleanOur policy is to specify only the use of hardwoods which come from sustainably managed sources. We do not in practice envisage making exceptions for such hardwoods, or for peat substitutes. In principle, however, they might need to be allowed for, in some possible circumstances and situations, if there were no practicable alternatives.
§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will indicate the reasons why his Department's policy statement on green housekeeping regards a ceiling of 70 to 75 per cent. as the current practicable limit for the purchase of recycled paper.
§ Mr. MacleanOur policy is to keep the use of non-recycled paper to a minimum but some printing processes require its use to operate effectively. The target figure of 70 to 75 per cent. use of recycled paper will be revised as appropriate to take account of developments in printing and paper technologies.