To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the application of (a) the export licence regime and (b) radioactive materials transport regulations to the export of sand from beaches and estuaries found to be radioactively contaminated.

There is no requirement for an export licence for sand under the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1992 unless it contains radioactive materials or properties as specified in the order. Equally, if sand or other material falls within the International Atomic Energy Agency definition of radioactive material, its transport would need to comply with that organisation's standards and international regulations for the transport of hazardous cargoes by air or sea.