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 make an assessment of the implications for her Department's policy on fracking in the UK of the findings of the Center for Environmental Research and Education at Duquesne University on the radioactivity of fracking waste water contents (brine).

Radioactive substances are regulated in England and Wales under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. These implement the relevant aspects of European Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom (Basic Safety Standards Directive 2013) based on standards recommended by the International Commission for Radiological Protection. In England the Environment Agency regulates the management of waste water from hydraulic fracturing sites to ensure these high standards of protection are met.