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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the proppant squeeze process is prohibited under the Government's moratorium on fracking in relation to seismic activity.

The Ministerial Statement of 4 November 2019 makes clear that the moratorium on fracking applies to operations that require Hydraulic Fracturing Consent. The definition of associated hydraulic fracturing is used for the purposes of Hydraulic Fracturing Consent, as set out under section 4A of the Petroleum Act 1998 (inserted by Section 50 of the Infrastructure Act 2015).

This definition was based on the approach taken by the European Commission, which defines high-volume hydraulic fracturing as involving the injection into a well of 1000m³ or more of water per fracturing stage or 10000m³ or more of water during the entire fracturing process.

Activities outside of this definition are not included in the moratorium.