Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the United Nations Sand and Sustainability: 10 strategic recommendations to avert a crisis, published on 26 April, what plans they have (1) to promote global action, and (2) to promote protection of that resource; and what assessment they have made of UK (a) supplies, (b) use, and (c) conservation, of sand.

Aggregate mineral surveys have been regularly undertaken by the Government since 1973. These provide an in-depth assessment of national and sub-national sales, inter-regional flows, transportation, consumption and permitted reserves of primary aggregates. The survey provides comprehensive data for monitoring and facilitating aggregates provision at a local, regional and national level.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) recognises that it is essential that there is a sufficient supply of minerals to provide the infrastructure, buildings, energy and goods that the country needs. It is clear that as minerals are a finite natural resource, best use needs to be made of them to secure their long term conservation. This is why mineral planning authorities are required to safeguard mineral resources through their planning policies, by defining Mineral Safeguarding Areas and Mineral Consultation Areas. Furthermore, the NPPF is clear that local planning authorities should not normally permit other development proposals in Mineral Safeguarding Areas if it might constrain potential future use for mineral working.