Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when his Department plans to respond to the compulsory community pre-application consultation for shale gas development consultation which closed on 7 January 2019.

The Government will provide a comprehensive response to the Select Committee’s report, and respond to the consultations on permitted development for shale gas exploration and compulsory community pre-application consultation for shale gas development, in due course.

We are currently analysing the representations to both the consultations, and considering the Select Committee’s report and its conclusions and recommendations.