HC Deb 12 March 2004 vol 418 c1761W
Ms Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which companies have contracts for furniture provision for her 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. [158103]

Mr. Morley

The following companies have furniture supply contracts with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its executive agencies:

  • Carleton
  • Walls 2 Workstations
  • Viking
  • Project Office Furniture
  • Hallways
  • Matthews Office Furniture

Purchasing centres in Defra and its executive agencies have been issued with guidance, including a model specification clause and contract condition, that explains how to seek to acquire timber and wood products from legal and sustainable sources.

Defra's main furniture supplier, Carleton, is certified as operating a chain of custody system that meets the standards set by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Certified products provide assurance that the timber used is from legal and sustainable sources. The Department monitors the value of certified wooden furniture purchased as part of its duty to report its timber purchases.

Defra is organising the creation of a central point of expertise on timber that will review the guidance given to all central departments and assess the extent to which certification schemes provide assurance that the Government contract requirements for legal and sustainable timber are met.

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