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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff required by the Environment Agency in order for it to perform its role as a regulator of hydraulic fracturing in (a) 2014-15, (b) 2015-16, (c) 2016-17, (d) 2017-18, (e) 2018-19 and (f) 2019-2020.

Currently the Environment Agency has 17 dedicated members of staff working full-time to develop the regulatory regime for oil and gas activities. This work covers conventional oil and gas, shale gas and coal bed methane. The core team is supported by technical resource from elsewhere in the organisation. The work load fluctuates and the specialists are not solely dedicated to regulating and permitting shale gas activities. Approximately a further 40 staff are currently involved in this work across England.

The Environment Agency recovers its costs through the charges it makes for environmental permits and licences. As a result, the number of staff will be adapted accordingly to meet the regulatory demand.