HC Deb 28 February 2000 vol 345 c2W
Mr. Crausby

To ask the Solicitor-General what percentage of documentation used by his Department is(a) made from recycled paper and (b) collected for recycling. [111611]

The Solicitor-General

In the Crown Prosecution Service, 100 per cent. of paper and documents procured and specified for use by the CPS are recycled. It is assessed that 80–85 per cent. of waste paper, documents and card is presently collected for recycling.

The use of recycled paper in the Treasury Solicitor's Department and Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers is not quantified, but staff are encouraged in both departments to use electronic media where possible, to save paper by double sided printing and to place used paper in bins for recycling.

The Serious Fraud Office does not currently use recycled paper for its documentation, because of problems experienced in trials to date. It does seek to maximise the recycling of waste paper, but cannot quantify its use of recycled paper as a percentage of total paper used. It is anticipated that the amount of paper consumed within the department will be reduced with the developing use of electronic media for the transfer of cases to the Crown court. Two cases have been successfully transferred in this way so far, and, principally through the implementation of the DOCMAN project, it is hoped to build on these numbers.