Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether permission for the shale gas industry to proceed with a fracking operation under the environmental permitting regime can only be granted in the event that the regulatory authorities are satisfied that baseline levels of pollution are not exceeded.

Environment Agency permits for shale gas sites set out conditions that require baseline monitoring as well as ongoing monitoring throughout operations. Baseline data is important in the understanding of existing local environmental conditions.

The permit sets out the conditions for operators to follow so that their activities do not cause unacceptable impacts on the environment.

In the event that pollution is detected that can be attributed to permitted activities on the site, action will be required to remediate any impact and the operator may be subject to enforcement action.