Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on implementing the Government's timber procurement policy for central government departments which requires the purchase of only legally felled and sustainably produced timber and wood products.

The Government continues to promote and support the Timber Procurement Policy. This includes the provision of practical advice to public sector procurers and suppliers through the Central Point of Expertise on Timber, which provides guidance and information through a helpdesk and regular, targeted workshops. Central Government Departments report on the application of the policy in construction contracts for the purposes of the Greening Government Commitments. Reports are published annually.

Defra has also contracted the Central Point of Expertise on Timber to conduct a review of the certification schemes that support the Timber Procurement Policy to ensure they are sufficiently robust.

In addition, the EU Timber Regulation (EUTR) entered into force in the UK in March 2013. The EUTR prevents the trade of illegally-harvested timber in the EU by laying down obligations on operators who place timber and timber products on the market, and those who subsequently trade in them.