HC Deb 27 January 2003 vol 398 c656W
Mr. Gardiner

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what fair trade criteria he sets when deciding upon what suppliers to use. [89915]

Mr. Nicholas Brown

I refer to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary on 9 December 2002,Official Report, column 92W, which sets out the-Government-wide position.

The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to fair trade and ethical supply routes. There are no prescribed fair trade criteria, and each contract is considered individually on its merits in line with EC procurement regulations and Government policy regarding value for money. However, our supply policy is that supply decisions must be based on a balanced assessment of benefits which must include value for money and ethical issues across the whole supply chain. This policy allows individual procurement exercises to set the right criteria, including fair trade criteria, that are appropriate to the business requirement and the commodity or service being procured.