To ask the Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, given that a company suspended its hydraulic fracturing activities in Blackpool after two minor earthquakes were related to its work, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that any hydraulic fracturing being carried out in Northern Ireland does not damage the environment.

No applications have been made to carry out hydraulic fracturing in Northern Ireland and it is unlikely that such an application will be submitted before 2014. The Department of the Environment has primary responsibility for environmental protection but DETI will work closely with DOE to ensure that the activities that are specific to shale gas exploration are adequately regulated and monitored. In the interim, DETI and NIEA will consult with their counterparts in GB and Ireland, and take into account the recommendations of recent and forthcoming studies from the USA, to ensure that appropriate controls in Northern Ireland conform to highest regulatory standards.