To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2006, Official Report, column 1777W, on Departmental Expenditure (107707), whether he issued advice to other Departments on reducing use of bottled water. (116179)

We provide general advice to public bodies under the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative to improve environmental performance and reduce waste in public sector catering, This includes a case study on the PSFPI website—‘Inn The Park’, The Royal Parks (London)—which gives as one of the steps taken to improve environmental performance:

“Plastic-bottled water has been phased out with the introduction of the drinking ‘fountain’, reducing waste and cost”

URL:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/sustain/procurement/casestudies/royalparks.htm.

We are looking at providing more specific advice.