Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what analysis his department has undertaken about the potential effects of fracking on house prices and home insurance costs across the North of England and the United Kingdom.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
There has been no hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction (“fracking”) since the effective moratorium was put in place in England in 2019. Similar restrictions are in place across other parts of the UK. Prior to the moratorium, only three wells have been hydraulically fractured for shale gas. The Department has not undertaken any analysis of the impact of fracking operations on house prices and home insurance costs. The Government has stated its intention to ban fracking for good.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he plans to review the technical definition of hydraulic fracturing in respect of (a) volume thresholds and (b) geological conditions to prevent onshore oil and gas extraction operations from circumventing the current moratorium on fracking.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Proppant squeezes are not currently defined in legislation as high volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction. We are committed to banning fracking for good and any future decision on national planning policy for fracking will take into account all volumes of hydraulic fracturing.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential carbon emissions that would be released by Europa's proposed proppant squeeze project at Burniston Mill in North Yorkshire.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not have a role in assessing the potential environmental impacts or carbon emissions of a proposed onshore oil and gas project. The relevant Mineral Planning Authority considers such impacts as part of providing planning permission and can request an Environmental Impact Assessment to be completed. Relevant planning permissions and permits, including from the Environment Agency, are required before any operations can take place.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential environmental impact of Europa's proposed proppant squeeze project at the Burniston Mill site in North Yorkshire.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not have a role in assessing the potential environmental impacts or carbon emissions of a proposed onshore oil and gas project. The relevant Mineral Planning Authority considers such impacts as part of providing planning permission and can request an Environmental Impact Assessment to be completed. Relevant planning permissions and permits, including from the Environment Agency, are required before any operations can take place.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the proppant squeeze process of gas extraction.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Proppant squeezes are not currently defined in legislation as high volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction. We are committed to banning fracking for good and any future decision on national planning policy for fracking will take into account all volumes of hydraulic fracturing.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the proppant squeeze process of gas extraction.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Proppant squeezes are not currently defined in legislation as high volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction. We are committed to banning fracking for good and any future decision on national planning policy for fracking will take into account all volumes of hydraulic fracturing.
Asked by: Lord Mackinlay of Richborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (HC37979), whether the decision to plug and abandon Preston New Road shale gas well was a matter for (1) the company, (2) the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, or (3) the North Sea Transition Authority.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
As stated in the previous answer, decisions on whether to abandon wells are ultimately a matter for the company.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37979, whether the decision to plug and abandon Preston New Road shale gas well was taken by (a) the company, (b) his Department and (c) the North Sea Transition Authority.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As stated in the answer to question UIN 37979, decisions on whether to abandon wells are ultimately a matter for the relevant company.”
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will include biodiversity offsetting requirements to any fracking licenses it grants.
Answered by Graham Stuart
In line with 2019 Conservative Manifesto commitments, the Government has adopted a presumption against issuing any further hydraulic fracturing consents. This position, an effective moratorium, will be maintained until compelling new evidence is provided addressing concerns around the prediction and management of induced seismicity.
The Government does not consider it necessary to apply offsetting requirements to activities subject to an ongoing moratorium.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on fracking; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of permitting fracking on the Government's net zero emissions target for 2050.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government has adopted a presumption against issuing any further hydraulic fracturing consents. This is an effective moratorium on fracking and is in line with the commitment made in the 2019 Conservative Manifesto. This position will be maintained until compelling new evidence is provided which addresses concerns around the prediction and management of induced seismicity. There are no plans to put the moratorium on a legislative basis at this time.
Assessing the impact on net zero where there is an ongoing moratorium in place would not be a good use of Government resources.