The Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government does not collect data at this level of detail. We do collect statistics on applications for oil and gas development but without distinguishing the method (such as hydraulic fracturing) by which the oil or gas is extracted from the ground. The data is publicly available and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-planning-application-statistics.

My hon. Friend is right: this is one of the top issues that come across my desk. I feel the local concern about it, and we will take that into consideration when we reach a final decision.

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s campaign on this fracking issue. We are all concerned about the impact of recent seismic events in Lancashire. My hon Friend knows that the Government have been clear that they will support the exploration of our shale gas resources only in a safe and sustainable way. The Oil and Gas Authority is undertaking an analysis of the data from Cuadrilla’s operations and we will set out our future approach as soon as we have considered that report.

I know that this issue affects my hon. Friend’s constituency directly and that he is a dedicated constituency MP, so I will happily meet him to discuss it.

As part of the environmental permit application, and before any hydraulic fracturing can take place, operators must submit a waste management plan to the Environment Agency for approval. This describes the processes and the types of extractive waste that will be generated at the site. The plan must set out how the operator will manage, minimise, reuse, recycle and dispose safely of the extractive waste, and how they will monitor the extractive waste.

The UK shale gas industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much shale gas it will be possible to technologically and commercially extract from UK shale reserves. In order to determine the potential of the industry and the benefits it could bring the UK, we need exploration to go ahead and Government encourages this. Further exploration will be needed to determine the amount of waste water sludge, sand and filter cake which would be created by future shale gas development. Future waste water treatment capacity and its expansion to meet hydraulic fracturing needs is a matter for the industry.

The UK shale gas industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much shale gas it will be possible to technologically and commercially extract from UK shale reserves. In order to determine the potential of the industry and the benefits it could bring the UK, we need exploration to go ahead, and Government encourages this. Further exploration will be needed to determine the number of landfill sites required to dispose of waste water sludge, sand and filter cake which would be created by future shale gas development. Future waste treatment capacity and its expansion to meet hydraulic fracturing needs is a matter for the industry.

Under Environmental Permitting Regulations, shale gas operators are required to check the capacity of appropriate waste disposal facilities. If operators cannot demonstrate an appropriate disposal route to the Environment Agency during the environmental permitting process, it is likely to refuse their application.

There are five sites in England with the necessary permits to treat all variations of waste water content generated from hydraulic fracturing. In addition, there are other sites around the country which, subject to obtaining the relevant permits, could accept and treat waste water from hydraulic fracturing.

The UK shale gas industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much shale gas it will be possible to technologically and commercially extract from UK shale reserves. In order to determine the potential of the industry and the benefits it could bring the UK, we need exploration to go ahead and Government encourages this. Further exploration will be needed to determine the amount of waste water which would be created by future shale gas development.

Future treatment capacity, cost and its expansion is a matter for the shale gas and waste water industries. Both businesses proposing to explore for oil and gas using hydraulic fracturing, and operators carrying out treatment of any wastes generated, require environmental permits from the Environment Agency, which are subject to a detailed site-specific assessment. The permits set legally binding conditions on how activities are carried out so that the local environment is protected.

The UK shale gas industry is at the very early stages of exploration and we do not yet know how much shale gas it will be possible to technologically and commercially extract from UK shale reserves. In order to determine the potential of the industry and the benefits it could bring the UK, we need exploration to go ahead and Government encourages this.

Further exploration will be needed to determine the amount of waste water facilities which would be required for future shale gas development.

Future treatment capacity is a matter for the shale gas and waste water industries. Under the Environmental Permitting Regulations shale gas operators are required to check the capacity of appropriate waste disposal facilities. If operators cannot demonstrate an appropriate disposal route to the Environment Agency during the environmental permitting process it is likely to refuse their application.

This is a devolved matter and the below information relates to England only.

There are currently five facilities in England with the appropriate environmental permits that would allow for the treatment of the waste water from hydraulic fracturing. There are a large number of sites around the country which, subject to obtaining the relevant permits, could accept and treat waste water from hydraulic fracturing.

The waste water from hydraulic fracturing was treated using a physio-chemical process involving the precipitation and filtration of metal solids. Two waste streams are produced from this treatment process – liquid effluent and solid filter cake. The liquid effluent is tested to ensure it complies with the strict limits of the trade effluent consent, and then disposed of to foul sewer. It then undergoes further treatment at the sewage treatment works, prior to discharge. The filter cake is tested to determine if it is hazardous or non-hazardous, and then sent to a suitably permitted landfill site.

Any sand or sludge resulting from hydraulic fracturing operations will form in the filter cake that is produced as part of the waste water treatment process. This solid waste needs to be tested to determine if it is hazardous or non-hazardous before it can be disposed of at a landfill site. Depending on the results, the filter cake can be sent to any landfill site that has the necessary permits in place. There are currently 21 hazardous waste landfill sites and 245 non-hazardous waste landfill sites permitted in England.

As part of their normal responsibilities as one of the independent regulators of the shale gas industry, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is carrying out a scientific analysis of the data gathered during the operations at Preston New Road. It is not a review of the traffic light system.

The OGA will work with recognised and independent geologists and scientists with expertise in hydraulic fracturing operations to assess the data and will provide updates on the progress of this analysis on their website as appropriate.

As part of their normal responsibilities as one of the independent regulators of the shale gas industry, the Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) is carrying out a scientific analysis of the data gathered during the operations at Preston New Road. It is not a review of the traffic light system.

The OGA will work with recognised and independent geologists and scientists with expertise in hydraulic fracturing operations to assess the data and will provide updates on the progress of this analysis on their website as appropriate.

Following minor seismic events at Preese Hall in 2011, an expert scientific review recommended that a traffic light system (TLS) be put in place, under which hydraulic fracturing operations should be paused if a seismic event was detected at or above a precautionary threshold of magnitude 0.5. The intention of the TLS was to minimise disturbance to local communities and to avoid harm to people or the environment. The TLS was developed in consultation with industry.

The Oil and Gas Authority monitors seismicity as part of their regulatory duties at shale gas sites and requires certain controls and requirements to be adhered to as set out in a Hydraulic Fracture Plan (HFP) which must be agreed between the operator and the regulators before operations can start. The TLS did not specify a pause period after a 0.5 magnitude event, however as a part of the HFP for their first well at Preston New Road, Cuadrilla proposed that they would pause for a minimum of 18 hours should a seismic event greater, or equal to, the 0.5 magnitude threshold be detected. The regulators considered that this was reasonable to allow them sufficient time to analyse seismic data and minimise the risk of trailing events.

The Traffic Light System applies to seismic events recorded during injection or pumping operations, therefore red events are categorised as those of magnitude 0.5 or greater occurring during these operations. However, the Hydraulic Fracture Plan (HFP) for Cuadrilla’s operations at Preston New Road stipulated that any trailing event recorded at magnitude 0.5, or above, also required an 18 hour pause to allow for monitoring and assessment. The HFP must be agreed between the operator and regulators ahead of operations commencing.

The Infrastructure Act 2015 makes it clear that hydraulic fracturing activities cannot take place unless an independent inspection of the well has been carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not issue a Hydraulic Fracturing Consent unless he is satisfied this has happened. Specifically, the Secretary of State will require a certificate from the HSE confirming that an inspection of the well site has been carried out by its inspectors.

To this end, every shale well site will receive an on-site inspection by the HSE as well as the Environment Agency in the exploration stage. Through notifications and weekly reports made by the well operator, the HSE also inspects well design and monitors progress to ensure the operator manages risks effectively throughout the life cycle of the well. The HSE’s inspection of these notifications and weekly reports, which occurs before and during construction, is carried out by specialist wells inspectors. Any significant changes to well construction are subject to the same scrutiny.

As part of the Oil and Gas Authority’s (OGA) assessment of an application for hydraulic fracturing operations, the OGA requires the operator to have in place the necessary funds or an insurance policy (including third-party liability) that will cover unforeseen events. All companies on a licence share joint and several liability for obligations and liabilities that arise under it throughout the lifecycle of the licence.