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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many waste water facilities in the UK are permitted to treat waste water from hydraulic fracturing operations.

This is a devolved matter and the below information relates to England only.

There are currently five facilities in England with the appropriate environmental permits that would allow for the treatment of the waste water from hydraulic fracturing. There are a large number of sites around the country which, subject to obtaining the relevant permits, could accept and treat waste water from hydraulic fracturing.