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522075

registered interest
date	26/05/2016
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether local planning authorities can only grant hydraulic fracturing consent for a well after an environment impact assessment directive compliance assessment has taken place.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Mr Mark Williams
uin	38792
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2016 answer text <p>The Infrastructure Act 2015 makes clear that my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not grant consent for associated hydraulic fracturing unless the environmental impact of the development, which includes the relevant well, has been taken into account by the local planning authority.</p><p> </p><p>We will expect operators to complete an Environmental Impact Assessment in order to fulfil condition 1 in section 50 of the Act.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 08/06/2016 14:28:27 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	1498 label Biography information for Mr Mark Williams

512979

registered interest
date	14/04/2016
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what protections the Government has put in place to ensure that historic towns are not adversely affected by shale gas extraction.
tabling member constituency	Chippenham
tabling member printed	Michelle Donelan
uin	34090
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2016 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that shale development must be safe and environmentally sound, maintaining the very highest safety and environmental standards.</p><p> </p><p>Any impacts of shale gas exploration proposals on the historic environment are fully taken into account through the planning system. The National Planning Policy Framework explains that when considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation. Designated heritage assets include World Heritage Sites, scheduled monuments, listed buildings and conservation areas.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the Government has consulted on measures to ensure that hydraulic fracturing cannot be conducted from wells that are drilled at the surface of our most valuable areas, including World Heritage Sites, and we will publish our response to the consultation shortly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 20/04/2016 12:37:48 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom previous answer version 56136 answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan

452318

registered interest
date	11/02/2016
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the experience in Oklahoma in the US, they plan to commission a detailed study into the potential correlation between fracking in the UK and more frequent earthquakes.
tabling member printed	Lord Truscott
uin	HL6219
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/02/2016 answer text <p>Waste water re-injection in the US has been linked to seismic activity, but this technique has not been proposed in the UK and the Environment Agency will not permit re-injection of waste water into any formation at this stage.</p><p> </p><p>In the UK, we have over 50 years’ experience regulating the onshore oil and gas industry. Our regulator regime is robust and we have strong controls in place to mitigate the risk of any seismic activity in the UK.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth question first answered 24/02/2016 14:40:06 answering member 4282 label Biography information for Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth attachment 1 file name DECC_infographic_Traffic-light-system_finaldec13.pdf title DECC: Traffic light system
tabling member	3682 label Biography information for Lord Truscott

447743

registered interest
date	26/01/2016
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of potential sources for exploring fracking sites where sufficient fresh water is not available at that site.
tabling member constituency	Chippenham
tabling member printed	Michelle Donelan
uin	24139
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2016 answer text <p>Companies must obtain water from their local water company or apply for an abstraction licence from the Environment Agency. Whichever option a company chooses; an assessment would be made of the availability of water, existing users and any impact on the environment.</p><br /><p>If sufficient water is not available then the water company or the Environment Agency may not be able to grant permission for the company to use the water for all or part of the time it is required. Companies would need to plan their operations accordingly.</p><br /> <br /> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 29/01/2016 14:39:54 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan

445501

registered interest
date	18/01/2016
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of how much fresh water will be used during each exploratory fracking operation.
tabling member constituency	Chippenham
tabling member printed	Michelle Donelan
uin	22950
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2016 answer text <p>The volume of water used will depend on the site, but estimates suggest that the amount needed to operate a fracked well for a decade may be equivalent to the amount needed to water a golf course for a month, or the amount needed to run a 1,000 MW coal-fired power plant for 12 hours.</p><p>In order to carry out hydraulic fracturing activities, an operator is required to seek an abstraction permit from the Environment Agency if more than 20 cubic metres per day of water is to be abstracted from surface or groundwater bodies. If water is instead sourced from a mains supply, the water company will need to ensure it can still meet the conditions of the abstraction permit that it will already be operating under. Whichever source an operator chooses to use, a thorough assessment will be made considering the existing water users’ needs and the environmental impact before permission is granted.</p><p>The Infrastructure Act 2015 states that the Secretary of State will only be able to issue hydraulic fracturing consent if satisfied that planning authorities have consulted the relevant water company.</p><p><br></p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 21/01/2016 15:18:45 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan

445502

registered interest
date	18/01/2016
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on (a) how much methane gas an average shale gas drilling site releases into the atmosphere and (b) what technology reduces the amount of methane gas so released.
tabling member constituency	Chippenham
tabling member printed	Michelle Donelan
uin	22951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2016 answer text <p>Research has shown that the carbon footprint of shale gas extraction and use is likely to be comparable to conventional sources of gas and lower than the carbon footprint of imported Liquefied Natural Gas. <strong>[1]</strong></p><p>In order to make sure emissions are minimised, the Environment Agency has made ‘Green Completions’ to capture emissions from operations a requirement for Environmental Permits for shale gas production.</p><p>Additionally, operators must develop a Waste Management Plan setting out how waste gases including fugitive methane emissions will be minimised, managed and monitored, which is submitted to the Environment Agency with permit applications. The Environment Agency will also consider an enclosed flare to provide the best environmental performance for treatment of waste gases from onshore oil and gas operations during exploration.</p><p>We have one of the most robust regulatory regimes in the world for shale gas and we insist on high standards of health safety and environmental protection.</p><br /><p><em><strong>[1]</strong></em><em> Mackay-Stone report (requested by DECC), Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Shale Gas Extraction and Use, Sept 2013 <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237330/MacKay_Stone_shale_study_report_09092013.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/237330/MacKay_Stone_shale_study_report_09092013.pdf</a> </em></p><br /> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 28/01/2016 15:11:40 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom previous answer version 40336 answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan

444965

registered interest
date	14/01/2016
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of (a) known available oil and gas reserves and (b) reserves estimated to be found as a result of fracking she plans to be left unexploited.
tabling member constituency	Chippenham
tabling member printed	Michelle Donelan
uin	22698
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2016 answer text <p>The amount of exploitable oil and gas reserves is determined by their commercial viability, which is a decision for industry. The shale gas industry in the UK is still at a very early stage and production has not yet started. The Government will not be able to forecast the scale or timing of shale development until the results from first exploration sites are available and it is possible to estimate the extent of gas that can be technically and commercially recovered.</p><br /> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 21/01/2016 13:06:08 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom previous answer version 39972 answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan

444966

registered interest
date	14/01/2016
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much the Government plans to spend from the public purse on supporting or enabling exploratory and productive fracking in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Chippenham
tabling member printed	Michelle Donelan
uin	22696
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2016 answer text <p>The Government supports the safe and sustainable development of unconventional hydrocarbons, but we will not subsidise shale gas development. Exploration and production are a commercial matter for developers.</p><br /><p>The Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil (OUGO) has been established within DECC to lead on the policy area and co-ordinate work with other Government Departments and regulators. This is to encourage the development of the UK’s shale industry whilst ensuring that robust regulations are in place to safeguard public safety and protect the environment.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 21/01/2016 13:09:07 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom previous answer version 39971 answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan

443955

registered interest
date	11/01/2016
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will ensure that any exploitation of shale gas in the UK is (a) a substitute for, and not in addition to, imported gas and (b) does not lead to an increase in carbon emissions.
tabling member constituency	Ogmore
tabling member printed	Huw Irranca-Davies
uin	21730
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/01/2016 answer text <p>The shale gas resources beneath Britain have the potential to bolster our energy security and add new sources of home-grown supply to our real diversity of imports.</p><br /><p>We are committed to reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 and natural gas, the cleanest of fossil fuels, will help us in meeting that target. Reports[1] have shown that the carbon footprint of electricity from UK produced shale gas would likely be significantly less than coal and also lower than imported Liquefied Natural Gas.</p><br /><p>This will be especially significant as we displace energy generation from high carbon fuels as coal.</p><br /><p>[1] Mackay-Stone report (requested by DECC), Potential Greenhouse Gas Emissions Associated with Shale Gas Extraction and Use, Sept 2013</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 18/01/2016 16:18:25 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	1476 label Biography information for Huw Irranca-Davies

432773

registered interest
date	26/11/2015
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit hydraulic fracturing from being conducted from wells that are drilled at the surface of sensitive areas within the boundaries of existing petroleum exploration and development licences.
tabling member constituency	Southampton, Test
tabling member printed	Dr Alan Whitehead
uin	17791
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2015 answer text <p>On 4 November 2015, the Government set out proposals to ensure that hydraulic fracturing cannot be conducted from wells drilled at the surface of specified protected areas. [1] With regards to existing Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State is minded not to approve any proposed programme of works which includes carrying out of hydraulic fracturing from new or existing wells drilled at the surface in specified protected areas. We are now consulting with key stakeholders, including the industry and non-governmental organisations and will set out our proposals in a policy statement in due course.</p><br /><p><em>[1]</em><em> See <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds#surface-development-restrictions" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/oil-and-gas-licensing-rounds#surface-development-restrictions</a></em></p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 01/12/2015 15:20:16 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	62 label Biography information for Dr Alan Whitehead