Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

142183

registered interest
date	06/11/2014
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 recent representations he has received on the safety concerns relating to fracking; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Thirsk and Malton
tabling member printed	Miss Anne McIntosh
uin	213684
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/11/2014 answer text <p>The Department regularly receives representations regarding safety, or other concerns, relating to shale gas development and exploration and we have produced a range of guidance material which set out how these concerns are addressed. These can be found at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/providing-regulation-and-licensing-of-energy-industries-and-infrastructure/supporting-pages/developing-shale-gas-and-oil-in-the-uk" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/providing-regulation-and-licensing-of-energy-industries-and-infrastructure/supporting-pages/developing-shale-gas-and-oil-in-the-uk</a></p><p>We have a strong regulatory framework in place to ensure a comprehensive regime for exploratory activities, and the UK has over 50 years of experience in oil and gas drilling. All of the right regulations are in place to ensure on-site safety, prevent water contamination, air pollution and mitigate seismic activity.</p><p>In June 2012 the Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering published an independent review of the scientific and engineering evidence on risks associated with UK shale gas development. Their report concluded that environmental (and health and safety) risks can be managed effectively in the UK, when operational best practices are implemented and enforced through regulation.</p><p>In June 2014, Public Health England published a report that evaluated available evidence on issues including air quality, radon gas, naturally occurring radioactive materials, water contamination and waste water. They concluded that “the risks to public health from exposure to emissions from shale gas extraction are low if operations are properly run and regulated.”</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 10/11/2014 13:59:17 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

106284

registered interest
date	04/11/2014
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what methods will be used to assess whether the levels of radon contained in shale gas gathered by hydraulic fracturing are safe enough to allow the shale gas to be burned on gas hobs in poorly ventilated kitchens.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Paul Flynn
uin	213318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>The Public Health England review of the potential public health impacts of shale gas extraction considered the potential presence of radon in natural gas containing shale derived methane.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A number of techniques are available for measuring the concentration of radon in methane including scintillation counting of a methane gas sample.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Battersea answering member printed Jane Ellison question first answered 11/11/2014 12:29:56 answering member 3918 label Biography information for Jane Ellison
tabling member	545 label Biography information for Paul Flynn

106391

registered interest
date	03/11/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of shale gas extraction on the industrial supply chain.
tabling member constituency	Lincoln
tabling member printed	Karl McCartney
uin	905935
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>The ‘Getting Ready for UK Shale Gas’ report – commissioned by the onshore oil &amp; gas industry and part-funded by the Department for Business, Innovation &amp; Skills – was published on 24th April and details the supply chain and skills needed to develop shale gas in the UK.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The report outlines the huge potential economic benefits to the UK economy. It estimates a potential £33 billion benefit to the UK economy, with over 64,000 jobs and the creation of a new onshore supply chain market for equipment, services and skills - across a number of industry sectors.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Full details of the report are at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/getting-ready-for-shale-gas-supply-chain-estimated-to-be-worth-billions-as-new-environmental-measures-announced" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/getting-ready-for-shale-gas-supply-chain-estimated-to-be-worth-billions-as-new-environmental-measures-announced</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 06/11/2014 15:58:39 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4028 label Biography information for Karl McCartney

101834

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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 he has made of the potential effect of the use of water for hydraulic fracking on the general supply and cost of water.
tabling member constituency	Rhondda
tabling member printed	Chris Bryant
uin	212767
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>Shale gas development is still at a very early stage in the UK. The Government is committed to making the most of the opportunity it presents and is supporting the industry’s exploration activity to establish the potential of shale.</p><p>Water for hydraulic fracturing may be obtained from the local water supply company or taken from surface or groundwater if permitted by the relevant environment regulator. The environmental regulator checks the potential impact on groundwater of any fracking operations, ahead of any fracking taking place, and will only grant a licence to an operator to abstract water where a sustainable water supply is available. The application will be assessed in the same way as any other application from industry or business.</p><p>Water companies must also produce, and then update every 5 years, a long-term plan with contingency reserves in case of a drought. Water companies will assess the amount of water available before providing it to operators.</p><p>The water industry and operators have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding to engage early and share plans for water demand and waste management.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 06/11/2014 16:12:10 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1446 label Biography information for Sir Chris Bryant

101837

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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 his policy is on requiring companies to inform people about fracking under their home or land.
tabling member constituency	Rhondda
tabling member printed	Chris Bryant
uin	212774
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>Companies seeking planning permission to exploit oil or natural gas are legally required to give notice of an application to owners or tenants of any of the land to which the application relates. If the development of a particular piece of land is underground only, the company is required to publish a notice in a local newspaper and put up a local site notice in each parish or ward in which the land is situated. Mineral Planning Authorities advertise and consult upon the planning applications that they receive.</p><p>The Environment Agency also publishes details of applications by companies for environmental permits on their website for public consultation. The onshore oil and gas industry, under UK Onshore Oil and Gas guidelines, has also agreed to publish information on its website; for example, industry will publish all chemicals that are used in hydraulic fracturing by composition and maximum concentration.</p><p>We are currently legislating to provide the right to use deep-level land for the purposes of exploiting petroleum and deep geothermal energy. As part of this, industry has committed to establish a public notification system to notify communities of works taking place at depth, outlining the area of underground land accessed, and the payment to be made to landowners under whose land the right of use is exercised. We are including in the Infrastructure Bill a reserve power for a statutory notification scheme, if industry commitments to a voluntary notification scheme are not met.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 06/11/2014 16:06:50 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1446 label Biography information for Sir Chris Bryant

101839

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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 he has made of the potential effect the investor protection clause of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will have on the number of legal challenges to the fracking industry.
tabling member constituency	Rhondda
tabling member printed	Chris Bryant
uin	212773
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is under development, and it is too early to assess the likelihood of legal challenges to shale development based on the investor protection clause.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 06/11/2014 16:13:19 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1446 label Biography information for Sir Chris Bryant

101840

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to put in place a planning process for fracking which diverges from existing planning rules.
tabling member constituency	Rhondda
tabling member printed	Chris Bryant
uin	212775
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>We have already made a number of changes to the local planning system in England to ensure that it is suitable in respect to unconventional hydrocarbons. <br><br>The National Planning Policy Framework, published in March 2012, sets out the policy framework for minerals, including unconventional hydrocarbons. We have also updated the supporting planning guidance to provide clarity on the role of the planning system in respect to unconventional hydrocarbons, and published this in a web-based format in March 2014. <br><br>Further, we introduced in early 2014 a streamlined common application form and amended regulations on notification requirements and fees for the winning and working of oil and natural gas (including exploratory drilling).<br><br></p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 06/11/2014 17:10:17 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
tabling member	1446 label Biography information for Sir Chris Bryant

101841

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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 he plans to make Government subsidies available to the fracking industry during exploration, gas extraction and land reclamation.
tabling member constituency	Rhondda
tabling member printed	Chris Bryant
uin	212776
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>I have been asked to reply.</p><p>The Government does not propose to make any subsidies available to the onshore oil and gas industry.</p><p>Along with our EU partners in the G20, the UK uses the following definition of a fossil fuel subsidy: &quot;A fossil fuel subsidy is any government measure or programme with the objective or direct consequence of reducing, below world-market prices, including all costs of transport, refining and distribution, the effective cost of fossil fuels paid by final consumers, or of reducing the costs or increasing the revenues of fossil-fuel producing companies&quot;.</p><p>Under this definition the UK has no fossil fuel subsidies. At Autumn Statement 2013, the Government introduced the onshore allowance to incentivise early exploration in shale gas. The allowance exempts a portion of a company’s profits, equal to 75% of capital expenditure the company incurs, from the supplementary charge. The allowance reduces the tax rate on that portion from 62% to 30%. We do not consider differential rates of tax to be a subsidy. Companies continue to pay Ring Fence Corporation Tax (which is higher than the main Corporation Tax rate) even where income is covered by the allowance.</p> answering member constituency Witham answering member printed Priti Patel question first answered 06/11/2014 14:38:51 answering member 4066 label Biography information for Priti Patel
tabling member	1446 label Biography information for Sir Chris Bryant

101842

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Fracking
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the mode of storage and containment of water that has been used for the hydraulic fracking permitted by the Government to date; and whether any sites have been designated for this purpose.
tabling member constituency	Rhondda
tabling member printed	Chris Bryant
uin	212768
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/11/2014 answer text <p>Flowback fluids from hydraulic fracturing operations are deemed to be a mining waste and therefore require an environmental permit from the Environment Agency for temporary storage on site. Subsequent treatment and disposal of the fluid at a waste treatment facility is also regulated by the Environment Agency. Waste waters must be stored in sealed tanks on bunded storage areas. The storage of wastewaters in open lagoons, as has sometimes been practised in the US, would not be permitted in this country.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 05/11/2014 15:58:14 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	1446 label Biography information for Sir Chris Bryant

101843

registered interest
date	30/10/2014
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 contingency plans his Department has in place for clean-up after fracking activity in the event that small fracking companies go bankrupt or refuse to take responsibility for any necessary cleaning.
tabling member constituency	Rhondda
tabling member printed	Chris Bryant
uin	212769
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/11/2014 answer text <p>Prior to awarding a licence, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) assesses whether a company has adequate financial capacity for its planned operations, including decommissioning. DECC further checks at the drilling and, where relevant, production stages that sufficient funding and appropriate insurance is in place.</p><p>If a company causes damage, harm, or pollution to the environment, companies can be required to remediate the effects and prevent further damage or pollution.</p><p>Environmental regulators and planning authorities have powers to require upfront financial bonds to address risks surrounding environmental damages, wherever they deem this necessary. In addition, DECC has been discussing with the industry’s trade body, UK Onshore Oil and Gas (UKOOG), industry arrangements to ensure that site restoration and aftercare will be ensured, even in the event that the operator goes out of business.</p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matthew Hancock question first answered 06/11/2014 16:12:51 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	1446 label Biography information for Sir Chris Bryant