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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department's policy to lift the moratorium on fracking.

The Government supports the core ambitions set out in the 2019 manifesto and will therefore revert to a more precautionary approach. The Government has confirmed that it will adopt a presumption against issuing further hydraulic fracturing consents. The Government will be led by the evidence on whether, in future, this form of exploration can support UK energy security, emission reduction and be acceptable to local communities.