§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the Government's policy on the purchasing for use by Government departments and agencies of(a) Brazilian mahogany and (b) other endangered timber; how the policy is implemented and monitored; in what form the results of that monitoring are published; and if he will make a statement. [23847]
§ Angela EagleDecisions on the procurement of goods and services, including timber or related products, are the responsibility of individual Departments. Departments must have regard to the need to secure best value for the taxpayers' money, to EU and other international rules on procurement and to their strategies for environmentally friendly housekeeping. In pursuing these aims, Departments can be expected to seek timber from sustainable sources where practicable. My Department'sGreen Guide for Buyers Part 1: Policy and Practice, which I have commended to Green Ministers in other Departments, requires minimum use of virgin materials, and the Department seeks as far as possible to purchase wood only from sources verified as sustainable. Costa Rica and Bolivia have listed their populations of Brazilian Mahogany in Appendix III of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and Brazil has consulted on a proposal to do the same. The importation of this species into the EU requires an export permit or a certificate from the country of origin. Importers are required to complete a notification in order to help monitoring of the levels of trade.