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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for continuing to apply individual scrutiny to applications for permits for unconventional oil and gas exploration, in the light of the variation in the conditions of possible sites and the levels of public concern regarding unconventional oil and gas exploration projects.

Operators proposing to explore for oil and gas using hydraulic fracturing or flaring will continue to require bespoke environmental permits from the Environment Agency, which will be subject to a detailed site specific risk assessment and public consultation, with extra consultation for sites of high public interest.