Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he and his officials have had with the Environment Agency on the adequacy of how frequently it monitors processes for groundwater at fracking sites across Lancashire.

Defra’s shale gas team works closely with Environment Agency colleagues on the environmental aspects of fracking, including the protection of groundwater.

The environmental permit issued by the Environment Agency, such as the one issued to Cuadrilla for the Preston New Road site in Lancshire, sets out the pre-operational and operational monitoring requirements according to environmental risk. The type and period of monitoring may vary between sites, according to the sensitivity of the environment and the type and scale of activities. When a site is decommissioned, the operator continues to be held to the monitoring requirements of the environmental permit until the Environment Agency is satisfied that the site has been returned to a satisfactory condition.