To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

(1) how the amounts set out in the regional guidelines for land-won sand and gravel production for the South East set out in the National and Regional Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England 2001 to 2016 are allocated between each local authority in the region; and if she will make a statement;

(2) what estimate she has made of the proportion of demand for aggregates in London which will be met from sources within London in the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 20 years.

(3) pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008, Official Report, columns 31-2W, on gravel, what steps she plans to take to increase the proportion of aggregates extracted from marine sources in the South East region.

The regional guidelines for provision of land-won sand and gravel in south east England for 2001 to 2016 are set out in the National and Regional Guidelines for Aggregates Provision in England, published in 2003. The regional guidelines are apportioned to mineral planning authorities in the region by the Regional Planning Body, taking into account advice from the mineral planning authorities and the South East of England Regional Aggregates Working Party. The guidelines make provision for the very limited available sources in London to supply 19 million tonnes of land-won sand and gravel over the guidelines period, (8 per cent. of forecast demand).

Minerals Policy Statement 1 "Planning and Minerals" encourages the environmentally acceptable supply of marine-dredged sand and gravel. The proportion of the supply of aggregates in the south east region which comes from this source is largely determined by the market and the capacity of the marine aggregates dredging industry.