§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is the policy of his Department to use fair trade products, as a matter of course, in(a) sales on Departmental premises and (b) receptions and meetings involving staff and visitors. [142806]
§ Mr. RammellForeign and Commonwealth Office purchasing policy is in accordance with the Government's Public Purchasing Consolidated Guidelines, which require the procurement of goods and services to be based on value for money and that they should be acquired by competition unless there are convincing reasons to the contrary.
Fair trade products are widely available in our offices. Almost all tea and coffee provided for official meetings is fair trade and our canteens and restaurants sell fair trade products including coffee, tea, chocolate and muesli bars.