Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what research the Government has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned on fracking and subsidence in former coal mining areas.
Answered by Claire Perry
Earlier this year the independent Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) commissioned a report from the British Geological Survey (BGS) to review the depth and location of historic coal mines in the East Midlands, which is a prospective area for shale gas development.
The OGA has commissioned a further report from the BGS which will include a review of historical seismicity which will be published in due course
These reports will inform the OGA’s consideration of any future applications for hydraulic fracturing operations in historic coal mining areas.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has required any steps to be taken by Cuadrilla before it resumes fracking in Lancashire following the recent earthquake in that place; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Claire Perry
The independent oil and gas regulator, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), is responsible for ensuring operators mitigate the risk of induced seismicity. The OGA is continually monitoring operations around the Preston New Road site to ensure they remain in line with Cuadrilla’s Hydraulic Fracture Plan, which was independently approved by the OGA, Environment Agency and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) before the commencement of hydraulic fracturing operations.
The Traffic Light System dictates that if an event of 0.5ML or above is detected and causally linked to operations, Cuadrilla must pause operations for 18 hours and reduce well pressure. Operations are only allowed to resume once regulators are satisfied that any risks have been appropriately mitigated. The very minor seismic events recorded at the Preston New Road site cannot be felt at the surface.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of fracking supply chains on the level of manufacture of non-degradable plastics.
Answered by Claire Perry
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 31st May 2018 to Question 146306.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential increase in the manufacturing of non-degradable plastics from an increase in fracking in the UK.
Answered by Claire Perry
Pursuant to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 31st May 2018 to Question 146306, the Department will not be making an assessment because natural gas and related bi-products produced from shale rock are indistinguishable from that produced from other hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential increase in the manufacturing of non-degradable plastics from an increase in fracking in the UK.
Answered by Claire Perry
Pursuant to the answer I gave the hon. Member on 31st May 2018 to Question 146306, the Department will not be making an assessment because natural gas and related bi-products produced from shale rock are indistinguishable from that produced from other hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential link between fracking and the manufacturing of non-degradable plastics.
Answered by Claire Perry
No such assessment has been made. Natural gas produced from shale rock is indistinguishable from that produced from other hydrocarbon reservoirs.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 17 May 2018, HCWS 690 on Energy Policy, which organisations were consulted prior to that statement being made.
Answered by Claire Perry
The Department worked closely with relevant government departments in developing the Written Ministerial Statement, which advanced the commitments from the Government’s 2017 manifesto to support the development of shale gas extraction. So we are setting out a series of actions, including those committed to in the Government’s 2017 manifesto to support the development of shale gas extractionWe engaged with stakeholders as part of our ongoing stakeholder engagement.
The statement announced forthcoming consultations on areas of the policy. We did not consult on the statement in advance.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 17 May 2018, HCWS 690 on Energy Policy, what representations he has received from (a) organisations, (b) businesses and (c) individuals on fracking; which applications for exploratory fracking informed that statement; if he will publish the evidential basis for the statement that fracking will support jobs and the local economy; and what assessment he has made of the effect of fracking on the (i) insurance and (ii) tourism industry.
Answered by Claire Perry
We have worked closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government when producing the statement and consulted other relevant government departments, the Oil and Gas Authority, the Environment Agency, the Health and Safety Executive, the industry trade body and shale gas operators prior to the statement being made. More generally, we routinely receive large volumes of correspondence from a wide range of organisations regarding shale gas production, all of which inform our policy deliberation.
A thriving UK shale industry could create a large number of jobs in the UK, indirectly support other industries, and help our economy grow. The Task Force on Shale Gas concluded in 2015 that the development of a shale gas industry would provide substantial employment in the UK, while noting that it will not be possible to ascertain an accurate estimate of the scale of this opportunity until we have a clearer idea of the amount of recoverable gas. Please see: https://www.taskforceonshalegas.uk/reports/Fourth%20Report
To determine the potential of the industry and how development will proceed, we need exploration to go ahead and the measures set out in the statement fulfil the Government’s 2017 Manifesto commitments to support this industry.
Independently verified figures show that during the last quarter of 2017, spend in the Lancashire economy from Cuadrilla’s shale gas operations increased to £6.8 million in total, with 55 full time and contract jobs and 6 apprenticeships created. Please see: https://cuadrillaresources.com/media-resources/press-releases/cuadrilla-drives-7m-lancashire-economy/
There will be opportunities for the insurance industry in shale gas exploration and production. UK Government Investments are in ongoing discussions with insurance brokers to discuss exactly what kind of insurance they can provide. Separately, the industry trade body has been discussing possible insurance products directly with insurance providers.
Regarding the impact on tourism, the UK has world class regulation to ensure that shale exploration can happen safely, respecting local communities and safeguarding the environment. For shale gas projects, the relevant planning authority decides whether activity is acceptable at a particular location, after local communities and other interested parties have had the opportunity to set out their view on the benefits and impacts of the proposal.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of the 29 November 2017 to Question 115018, whether Trimega was supplying services to (a) Government departments, (b) local authorities (c) police forces or (d) any other public or private body during the period in which that company did not hold UKAS accreditation to the international standard for test laboratories ISO/IEC 17025.
Answered by Margot James
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is responsible for accreditation policy and appoints the National Accreditation Body, UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service). It does not hold data on UKAS-accredited organisations or the customers of those organisations.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield, Heeley)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the United Kingdom Accreditation Service assessed (a) Randox Testing Service between 2013 and 2017 and (b) Trimega between 2010 and 2014 against the standards set by the Forensic Science Regulator after initial accreditation had been granted.
Answered by Margot James
As the National Accreditation Body, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is independent of Government. UKAS has provided the following information.
Trimega (subsequently Ingemino from 16 January 2014) was granted UKAS accreditation to the international standard for test laboratories ISO/IEC 17025 “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”, on 10 July 2013. This accreditation was withdrawn on 11 April 2014.
Randox Testing Services was granted accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 on 27 November 2009 and still holds accreditation to this standard.
Neither Trimega nor Randox Testing Services have been assessed by UKAS against the Forensic Science Regulator’s Codes of Practice and Conduct.