Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 12 Oct 1993

Vol. 434 No. 4

Written Answers. - Tropical Rainforests.

Trevor Sargent

Question:

37 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Finance if he will ensure that no wood from tropical rainforests is used by contractors over which Government Departments have control, in view of the reduction in rainforest areas worldwide, their effect on climate change and on the lives of indigenous peoples who depend on them.

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Mr. Dempsey)

The Office of Public Works, as a conservation agency, is keenly aware that tropical forest worldwide are under threat of extinction. Its policy, therefore, is to use only tropical timber from forests which are managed in a sustainable fashion and where the timber is regarded as a renewable resource.