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Timber

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:

What timetable the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has in place to ensure that all timber procurement in government departments is (a) legal, and (b) sustainable. [HL2591]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Bach): There is no timetable for ensuring that all timber procurement in government departments is (a) legal, and (b) sustainable.

The Government's timber procurement policy has been operative since 28 July 2000 when the then Minister for the Environment, Michael Meacher, announced in a Parliamentary Answer to Colin Burgon MP that the then current voluntary guidance on environmental issues in timber procurement would become a binding commitment on all central government departments and agencies actively to seek to buy timber and timber products from sustainable and legal sources. In that Answer Mr Meacher also stated:

"This programme does not involve banning the purchase of' timber or timber products which cannot be shown to be sustainably and legally produced. That would be both unfair and impractical. There is currently not enough timber that can be independently guaranteed to have come from sustainable and legal sources to meet all needs; albeit that different assurance schemes are growing quickly. We would also not want to penalise poorer countries and producers which have not been able to put in place such schemes. We will continue to work with such producers to ensure they have fair market-.access, and that any action is fully consistent with our international obligations. Our aim is to give confidence to those obeying their country's laws and managing their forests responsibly that they will find a welcome market in the UK, and will-not be undercut by unscrupulous and illegal competitors".

The policy remains the same today and it is considered unrealistic to expect that one day all timber procured by government departments can be shown to be from legal and sustainable sources. Performance in attaining the policy objectives will vary from year to year depending on the nature of contracts awarded and the capacity of the market to meet demand. What is feasible though is to expect departments to invite all their suppliers to offer legal and sustainable timber and for the vast majority off timber supplied to meet those demands. The practical approach is to encourage the supply side of the market to increase capacity step by step. The Government have introduced a model contract condition requiring all suppliers to obtain timber from legal sources. Over time this should have the effect of significantly
 
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increasing the volume of legal timber supplied. Obtaining timber that can be independently verified as deriving from a sustainable source is more problematical. It is estimated that only 10 per cent. of the world's productive forests are certified and 90 per cent. of those are temperate and boreal forests. Consequently, certified timber from tropical regions is scarce and expensive. Available information indicates that the vast majority of timber imported into the UK is softwood from temperate and boreal forests and this would suggest that relatively little tropical timber is purchased by central government. The UK Government are currently unable to distinguish between the total volume of tropical timber purchased and timber purchased from other regions of the world but do reveal, in their annual sustainable development in government (SDIG) report, spend on certified timber and certified timber products.

Currently the only target set by the Government for timber procurement is in the WSSD action plan. This target is: by November 2006, 50 per cent. of expenditure on timber by central government departments in England will be on products which can be independently verified as from sustainable and legal sources. The SDIG report suggests that this target may have been attained in the 2003-04 financial year. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will arrange for consultants to undertake a sample check of departments to indicate how accurate the SDIG reports are. When that check is complete the Government will consider whether it would be appropriate to set a new target or targets with a timetable for attainment.

Ulster-Scots Agency

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 30 November (WA 54) on funding of the Ulster-Scots Agency, how much the agency requested for 2004; what the indicative budget was offered from the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure; and how much was finally paid. [HL2740]

The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): The Ulster-Scots Agency submitted an initial budget bid of £2.98 million for 2004. In relation to the other matters I would refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave him on 17 November 2005 (Official Report, col. WA 173). The noble Lord will already be aware that the agency received an additional £80,000 from the sponsor departments during the year in question.

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