§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what advice will be given to non-departmental public bodies regarding the use of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber. [184942]
§ Mr. MorleyCentral Government departments are responsible for communicating Government policy and related information to the non-departmental public bodies they sponsor. I expect whatever information on a central point of expertise on timber (CPET) is communicated to central departments to be passed on by those departments to the bodies they sponsor if those bodies purchase timber or products made from timber.
The CPET Phase 1 contract will result in revised guidance being issued to central departments. This contract is expected to be completed in September 2004.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans there are to make the services of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber available to local authorities. [184943]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Government's plan is that all UK public sector bodies and their suppliers will have access to guidance published by the Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement (CPET). Furthermore, plans are being formulated for the CPET to operate a help line service that would be available to all UK public sector bodies. Implementation of these plans has cost implications that will be subject to resource availability and this will be reviewed in the autumn of 2004.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance will be produced by the Central Point of Expertise on Timber; how it will be distributed to Government departments; and if she will make a statement. [184951]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Central Point of Expertise on Timber Phase 1 is:(a) reviewing existing guidance to establish robust contract definitions for legal and sustainable timber; (b) devising a methodology for assessing whether individual certification schemes meet UK Government requirements for identifying legal and sustainable timber and (c) undertaking such assessments for five certification schemes. This work will result in revised guidance that will be communicated by email to heads of procurement and environmental managers in central Government departments, to the devolved administrations and to the Improvement Development Agency. In addition the revised guidance will be published on a CPET web site that will be 421W publicised by a press release. Future phases of the CPET service will build on this work and it is expected that a similar communication strategy will be adopted.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance will be issued to Government departments regarding the use of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber. [184952]
§ Mr. MorleyCentral Government departments will be advised to apply guidance published under the name of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET) when they identify a need to procure timber or products derived from timber and to follow that guidance throughout the procurement process. When the CPET is operating a help line service departments will be advised to use that service whenever they or their suppliers encounter difficulties acquiring their timber and timber products from legal and sustainable sources or are in any doubt over claims made by suppliers in that respect. Departments will also be advised to avail themselves of any other services that the CPET may provide, including, for example, training workshops for procurement personnel.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her plans are for phase two of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber; how it will be funded; and over what time period it will run. [184953]
§ Mr. MorleyBuilding on the foundations laid through Phase 1 of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber (CPET), the Government plan to commission further services as follows
Assessment of certification scheme bodies not covered by CPET Phase 1;Development of criteria to evaluate the suitability of suppliers assurance that is not based on certification schemes and provision of guidance for procurement officers, facilities managers, estate managers, architects and suppliers;Consultations with certification scheme bodies and other key stakeholders on the application of the CPET service and its effect on their operations;
422W
Household waste Tonnes (Thousand) Kilogrammes (Per head) Landfilled (Percentage) Incinerated (Percentage) Other (Percentage) 2001–02 North East 1,313 521 78 16 7 North West 3,846 568 86 2 11 Yorkshire and The Humber 2,516 506 84 4 12 East Midlands 2,183 522 77 6 16 West Midlands 2,664 504 57 32 12 East 2,809 520 80 1 18 London 3,411 467 73 20 8 South East 4,227 527 79 0 21 South West 2,584 523 81 0 19 England 25,554 583 77 9 14 2002–03 North East 1,376 548 76 14 10 North West 3,935 581 84 3 14 Yorkshire and The Humber 2,525 506 79 7 14 East Midlands 2,214 525 77 6 17 Provision of guidance, training and education for heads of procurement, buyers and specifiers, e.g. through the website, workshops, voluntary audits and a helpline;
Raising awareness throughout the supply chain.
Whether all the services outlined above would be covered by CPET Phase 2 has yet to be decided. That decision will depend on resource availability. The CPET is a new concept and investment has to be soundly based. The full CPET service is being created in phases so that experience gained can be applied to future development. The detailed plans and resource allocation for Phase 2 will be considered in the autumn of 2004 with a decision expected by the end of November 2004. The resource implications of expanding the CPET client base beyond central Government buyers will need careful consideration. The extent to which a CPET could generate income from fees, sponsorship and other commercial activities is one of a number of options that will be investigated.
§ Sue DoughtyTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated costs are of(a) establishing and (b) running for the first 12 months the Central Point of Expertise on Timber. [184957]
§ Mr. MorleyTo establish the Central Point of Expertise on Timber Procurement to operate a wide range of services as originally envisaged and run those services for a year is estimated to cost in the region of £300,000 in total.