§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what calculations underlie the quotas produced by county councils for the minerals local plans. [12208]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe regional guidelines for aggregates provision in England, which have been appointed to minerals planning authorities for incorporation into development plans, are set out in "Minerals Planning Guidance Note 6"—MPG6—issued in April 1994. The overall provision is based on long-term projections of aggregate demand, which were in turn derived from projections of construction activity, which take account of the relationship between economic activity and construction investment. The consultants' reports on the projections were placed in the Library of the House at the time, and are summarised in annexe C of MPG6. Taking account of the lowest growth scenario in the projections, the Government took the view that demand for aggregates in England over the period 1992 to 2006 is likely to be in the order of 4.2 billion tonnes. The Department further assumed that, in line with the policies set out in the MPG, approximately 1,165 million tonnes of aggregates supply would come from sources other than primary land-based production in England—details are given in annexe A of MPG6. The guidelines therefore advise that planning authorities in England should make provision for some 3.1 billion tonnes of primary aggregates over the period 1992 to 2006.
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§ Mr. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has to review the quotas for the county councils' minerals local plans. [12209]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe Department of the Environment is undertaking a research project to examine the overall approach to aggregates planning, including the operation of the quantified guidelines and the projections on which they are based. The next review of MPG6, which will be the subject of wide consultation, will be started when the results of the research are available, early in 1998.