§ Lord Beaumont of Whitleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have established that the mahogany purchased to refurbish Royal Navy ships, as reported in the Observer of 1 February, did not come from an illegal source. [HL605]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Gilbert)It is our policy to purchase all the mahogany that we require from sustainably grown sources and we require specific certification to this effect from our contractors. The Brazilian mahogany to which the article in theObserver of 1 February 1998 referred was purchased on this basis and we hold certificates of conformity provided by our contractor from his suppliers assuring us that the timber was from a legal source. We have seen no evidence to substantiate or support the allegations in the Observer article, but, should such evidence come to light, we would take the matter up with the contractor concerned.