To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much money the Aggregates Levy Fund generated in each year of its existence.

I have been asked to reply.

The aggregates levy was introduced in 2002 to ensure that the external costs associated with the exploitation of aggregates are reflected in the price of aggregate, and to encourage the use of recycled aggregate. The revenue raised by the levy is shown in the following table and is published on the UK Trade Info website at

http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=statindex

Revenue is recycled back to business, primarily through a 0.1 percentage point reduction in employers' national insurance contributions, introduced at the same time as the levy, and the Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund, which has been set at a UK level of £35 million since the introduction of the levy.