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Column 478

Paper Products

Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spends on paper products ; how much paper is consumed by his Department in an average month ; what steps he plans to take to reduce the quantity of paper consumed ; and if he has plans to purchase recycled paper for his Department.

Mr. Sainsbury : The Ministry of Defence, world wide, spends some £7.7 million per year on paper products. This equates to just under 900 tonnes consumption per month.

All demands for paper products are closely scrutinised ; in particular, there is a continuing review of forms usage within the MOD which has already reduced the consumption of printed material and will continue to do so.

The MOD is already obtaining many stock ranges with a high recycled content such as envelopes, notebooks, file covers etc. More recycled products will be purchased provided that this does not affect quality, versatility and represents value for money.

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