§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment is made(a) of the environmental impact and (b) against sustainable development criteria of bids made for (i) grants and (ii) contracts awarded by his Department; who makes such assessments; and whether these assessments are published. [118785]
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§ Fiona MactaggartThe Department does not carry out environmental impact assessments or assess against sustainable development criteria when evaluating bids for grants or awarding contracts.
However, the Department does take environmental purchasing seriously. Environmental issues are considered when awarding contracts where it is considered relevant to the contract and where it has been included in the contract specification. Such assessments are undertaken by a tender evaluation board, which where appropriate would be augmented by an environmental specialist who has the appropriate skills to perform the environmental assessment. These assessments are not published.