§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much was spent on food by his Department and by each of the agencies for which it is responsible in(a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-produced food; and if he will make a statement. [129367]
§ Yvette CooperThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was formed on 29 May 2002 and it is thus not possible to provide data for the Office prior to then.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's expenditure on food is generally limited to official hospitality provided by the Office and meals and refreshments provided to delegates to the Fire Service College. Expenditure 2002–03 was –225,274 on official hospitality and £341,374 on meals and refreshments at the Fire Service College.
804WThe current catering contracts for the headquarters of the Office neither prescribe the source of produce supplied nor require contractors to provide this information. It is anticipated this will change when new contracts are put in place next year. 72 per cent. of the food supplied to the Fire Service College was produced in the UK.
Officials of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are working closely with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to integrate and promote the principles of sustainable development into the public procurement of food and catering services.