Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of shale gas extraction with the domestic and international climate change commitments; and if he will make a statement.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) concluded that shale gas production at a significant scale is compatible with carbon budgets if certain conditions are met, which the Committee have set out as three “tests”. We believe that our robust regulatory regime and determination to meet our carbon budgets mean those three tests can and will be met.

The Government’s response to the CCC Report can be viewed through the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/651148/20171005_-_Progress_report_response.pdf.