§ Mr. WeirTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will instruct Government Departments to investigate how they might increase the number and value of fair trade products that they purchase. [36081]
§ Clare ShortThrough the Department for International Development, the Government have supported fair trade (FT) initiatives for a number of years, both in developing countries and in the UK. This support forms part of a wider dialogue with the private sector and civil society to encourage the adoption of more socially responsible and ethical trade practices. As companies and consumers become more aware of the connection between the way business is done and its impact on the livelihoods of people in developing countries, so the pressure for positive change grows.
To this end, DFID has provided £250,000 this year to support the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI). The ETI is a consortium of UK retail companies (with a combined annual turnover of nearly £100 billion), NGOs and trade unions committed to working together to identify and promote best practice in the implementation of codes of labour. ETI corporate members are required to report compliance down their supply chains against a base code founded on the ILO convention.
In addition, we are providing £120,000 to the Fair Trade Foundation over three years (2001–03) in support of its efforts to target new consumers through its annual Fair Trade Fortnight campaigns. The fortnight is designed to highlight the positive developmental impacts of FT and the range of FT products on offer.
With regard to direct purchasing of FT products by Government Departments, value for money considerations and the limited number of commodities for which internationally agreed FT standards exist, currently make it impractical to link Government purchasing policy to the FT mark.