Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason the new Shale Environmental Regulator Group was established instead of extending the remit and powers of the (a) Health & Safety Executive, (b) Environment Agency and (c) Oil and Gas Authority.

The UK regulatory regime for shale gas is considered among the most robust and stringent in the world but it is also complex with three regulators: the Environment Agency, the Health and Safety Executive and the Oil and Gas Authority. Therefore, the Government has brought the existing regulators together through a virtual Shale Environmental Regulator Group to act as a single point of contact for Mineral Planning Authorities and industry, to improve the efficiency in resolving regulatory issues on sites and to share best practice.

The Government is confident that the right protection is in place to explore shale safely and each regulator will continue to retain its own independent regulatory functions with the virtual regulator group having no statutory powers.