To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what his estimate is of the proportion of fish procured by the public sector which has stewardship council certification; (318031)

Data from the 2007-08 financial year as reported in the publication ‘Proportion of domestically produced food used by Government Departments and also supplied to hospitals and prisons under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain and National Offender Management Service (previously HM Prison Service)’ show that of the 18 Departments for which we have information, five source 100 per cent. of fish from managed sources and a further seven source 70 per cent. or more of their fish from managed sources. The average of the figures provided is 70 per cent.. A ‘managed source’ is defined here as managed and harvested in ways that do not lead to over-fishing or depletion of exploited populations, e.g. are covered under standards and schemes such as organic certification and Marine Stewardship Council.

The Departments which reported more than 70 per cent. of fish from managed sources were: DCMS, DCSF, DEFRA, DFID, DCLG, BIS, DFT, DWP, HMT, MOJ, NHS Supply Chain, MOD.

Data on the use of the guidance by wider public sector are not available.