§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development which companies have contracts for furniture provision for his Department; and what measures have been implemented to ensure that when a product contains wood, it can be shown to come from legal and sustainable sources. [158106]
Mr. Gareth ThomasDFID does not have contracts for the supply of furniture, but makes use of Office of Government Commerce (OGC) arrangements for pretendered goods and services. However, all suppliers used are provided with model specification clauses which set out Government procurement policies and so ensure that all timber used is from legal and sustainable sources. The two main suppliers used are both certified as operating systems that meet the standards set by the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC).
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what construction and refurbishment his Department is undertaking; at what locations; and what measures are being implemented to ensure that all timber used(a) on the construction sites and (b) in the final projects will come from legal and sustainable sources. [158104]
Mr. Gareth ThomasWe are currently undertaking the refurbishment of our office at Abercrombie House, East Kilbride.
Throughout the project the contractor and the project managers have been informed of Government policy regarding procurement of timber used, and DFID has issued a model specification clause in accordance with the guidelines as issued by Defra. Documentation to support the sourcing of timber from the lead contractor, and also all relevant sub-contractors, is being obtained and independently verified.