§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Solicitor-General, pursuant to her answers of 16 November 2001,Official Report, column 895W, and 27 November 2001, Official Report, column 745W, on fair trade goods, if she will review during Fair Trade Fortnight the amount of fairly traded goods used in her Department. [35451]
§ The Solicitor-GeneralIn my own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, there are no plans to review the amount of fairly traded goods used in the Department but it is always ready to use fair trade products when these represent good value.
In the Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible, details are as follows:
Crown Prosecution Service
A review undertaken by the Crown Prosecution Service and its catering provider regarding the use of fair trade products, led to a proposal to promote fair trade confectionery in the staff restaurant facility.
In response to earlier parliamentary questions from the hon. Member, the Crown Prosecution Service reviewed its suppliers' use of fair trade products. This review found that, although the supplier was willing to switch to fair trade products as ingredients in foods, this would mean that the overall cost of meals provided would no longer be competitive with other providers in the area. Therefore it was decided that Fair Trade confectionery items would be sold (on a promotional basis), within the canteen facility.
The Crown Prosecution Service's involvement with fair trade is in relation only to its catering supplier, which manages the canteen in Crown Prosecution Service headquarters at Ludgate Hill. There are no other canteen facilities elsewhere in the Crown Prosecution Service. Therefore, the overall value of the contract is very small.
However, the Crown Prosecution Service encourages ethical purchasing as part of it's purchasing policy.
876WTreasury Solicitor's Department
The Treasury Solicitor's Department has no plans to review the amount of fairly traded goods used in the Department, but is always ready to use fair trade products when these represent good value.
The Treasury Solicitor's Department encourages ethical purchasing as a part of it's purchasing policy.
Serious Fraud Office
The Serious Fraud Office has no plans to review the amount of fairly traded goods used in the Department.
When purchasing goods the Serious Fraud Office supports the principles of Government procurement, which means ensuring that the Department obtains overall value for money.
The Serious Fraud Office encourages ethical purchasing as a part of it's overall purchasing policy.