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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish without redaction the Shale Gas: Rural Economy Impacts report, published by her Department with redactions in March 2014.

The economic impact of fracking is a matter for the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

The paper that my Hon Friend refers to was an internal draft document. It was not analytically robust and was not signed off by Ministers. It has not been published and we have no plans to do so.

My department is responsible for the environmental aspects of this policy. The Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering review on shale gas concluded if fracking is properly regulated it is safe and has minimal environmental impacts.