Written Question·Department for Energy Security and Net Zero·UIN 92604

Fracking: Housing

Tabled: 19 November 2025
Answered: 28 November 2025

Question

Cat Smith

LabourLancaster and Wyre

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what analysis his department has undertaken about the potential effects of fracking on house prices and home insurance costs across the North of England and the United Kingdom.

Answer

Michael Shanks

There has been no hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction (“fracking”) since the effective moratorium was put in place in England in 2019. Similar restrictions are in place across other parts of the UK. Prior to the moratorium, only three wells have been hydraulically fractured for shale gas. The Department has not undertaken any analysis of the impact of fracking operations on house prices and home insurance costs. The Government has stated its intention to ban fracking for good.