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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on the number of areas in the US in which it has been confirmed that water supplies have been contaminated by hydraulic fracturing.

Defra does not hold this data.

In England we have robust regulations in place to prevent contamination of water supplies. The Environment Agency will ensure that no hydraulic fracturing will be permitted where groundwater and drinking water supplies could be affected.