To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on the purchase of (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years. (274202)

The information is as follows:

(a) The only data available for expenditure on recycled office supplies are for paper products inclusive of office paper, envelopes and card. Core-DEFRA spent the following amounts on 100 per cent. recycled paper.

In comparison, expenditure on virgin paper products for these financial years was £9,000, £7,500 and £3,800 respectively.

Data from 2005-06 and 2004-05 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

(b) DEFRA outsourced IT service provision to IBM in 2004. Due to the way in which this contract is structured, the figures provided as follows (based on paid invoices) include toner cartridge expenditure for the core-Department as well as the following Executive agencies and NDPBs which receive services from IBM under the e-nabling contract (core-DEFRA, Marine Fisheries Agency, Natural England, Animal Health Agency, Government Decontamination Service, Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Commission for Rural Communities, Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution).

Data for 2004-05 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of office supplies purchased by his Department were recycled products in the latest period for which figures are available. (275346)

The only data available centrally for expenditure on recycled office supplies are for paper products inclusive of office paper, envelopes and card. Core-DEFRA spent the following amounts on 100 per cent. recycled paper products:

In comparison, expenditure on virgin paper products for these financial years was £9,000, £7,500 and £3,800 respectively.