§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to encourage local authorities to source timber only from legal and sustainable sources. [117604]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Department is working with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Improvement and Development Agency to raise awareness of sustainable procurement, including timber. My right hon. Friend (Mr. Meacher) wrote to local authority chief executives on 19 September, as explained in his previous answers of 27 January 2003,Official Report, column 564W, and 24 February 2003, Official Report, column 98W. He followed that letter up with a further one of 7 April 2003 to those that did not reply. A number of further replies have been received that indicate a generally positive picture in terms of their strategies for procuring timber.