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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of hydraulic fracturing on water scarcity in the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 20 years.

The industry is at an early stage in its development and it is expected that most companies will obtain water from their local water company. A water company has a legal duty to ensure they can meet the demand for water in their supply area over the next 25 years. A water company may decide not to supply water for hydraulic fracturing if it risks its ability to supply existing customers.

Based on industry growth projections to 2032, the Environment Agency estimates that the shale gas industry could require approximately 0.1% of total water abstracted, compared, for example, to 0.3% used in the spray irrigation sector.