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 - Parliamentary Under Secretary 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 - Parliamentary Under Secretary 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 - Parliamentary Under Secretary 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 - Parliamentary Under Secretary 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 - Parliamentary Under Secretary 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.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current policy on fracking; and whether the UK moratorium on fracking is still in place.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government supports the core ambitions set out in the 2019 manifesto and will therefore revert to a precautionary approach and only support shale gas exploration if it can be done in a way that is sustainable and protects local communities. The Government has confirmed that it will adopt a presumption against issuing further hydraulic fracturing consents. We will be led by the evidence on whether this form of exploration can be done in a way which acceptably manages the risk to local communities.
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that fracking caused an earthquake every day that the site at Preston New Road, Lancashire, was in operation.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has confirmed that it is adopting a presumption against issuing any further hydraulic fracturing consents. This position, an effective moratorium, will be maintained until compelling new evidence is provided which addresses concerns around the prediction and management of induced seismicity.