Question

To ask the Prime Minister, whether he read the report, Shale Gas: Rural Economy Impacts, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in March 2014.

This was a draft internal DEFRA paper which was not analytically robust.

The UK has a regulatory regime that will ensure that the exploration and production of shale gas can be carried out in a safe and environmentally sound manner. We are committed to ensuring that communities feel the benefits of fracking. Investment in shale could reach £33 billion and support 64,000 jobs in the oil, gas, construction, engineering and chemical sectors. That would be good news for the whole of the UK economy.