§ Mrs. PeacockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what account he took of purchasing policies in the United Kingdom regarding the specification of certain species of timber on environmental grounds when he signed the "United Nations Principles on Forestry" at the Earth summit in 1992; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Yeo[holding answer 1 July 1993]: Purchasing policy was not addressed specifically in the discussions on 83W the principles on forestry, the main objective of which is to ensure that the world's forests are managed sustainably. Nevertheless, we believe that it is important that consumers should be able to distinguish between timber from sustainable and unsustainable sources. We are therefore supporting the development of standards for forest management and timber labelling schemes.