§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source. [110217]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Ms Hughes) on 14 February 2000,Official Report, column 357W. It is not practicable to require that all paper and timber products purchased by my Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council because this might discriminate against any equally valid schemes and therefore be against public procurement rules.
§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department come from a sustainable source. [110216]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyAll potential suppliers are issued with "Selling to the Welsh Office—A Green Guide for Suppliers of Goods and Services to the Welsh Office". Following devolution, this guide now applies to my Department, the Wales Office.
848WThe guide sets out what is expected from contractors who supply paper and timber products, among other things, and ensures that we operate a purchasing policy which gives full weight to environmental considerations in the procurement of all goods and services.
The guide specifies that timber products should be supplied only from wood produced from sustainably managed forests. The current paper contract provides paper that is at least 80 per cent. post consumer waste, produced using Environmentally Chlorine Free pulp from sustainable forests.