Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what grounds current planning guidance provides for not refusing an application for hydraulic fracturing in (a) national parks, (b) the Broads, (c) areas of outstanding natural beauty and (d) world heritage sites.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 28 July 2014, Official Report, House of Lords, Column WS141, which outlines the current planning guidance in place on this issue.

Planning applications for shale extraction are considered under the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, like any other local planning application.

In January, we published a plain English guide to the planning system which explains the limited role of Ministers. It can be found online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plain-english-guide-to-the-planning-system