Mark Menzies

A photo of Mark Menzies shown on the Andrew Marr Show, 30 March 2014

Mark Menzies has been the UK Conservative MP for Fylde since 2010.

Conservative MPs losing patience with Coalition's approach on fracking

Menzies's constituency is the only place where high-pressure high-volume fracking has so far occurred.

In November 2014 during a House of Commons adjournment debate on fracking, Menzies criticised the Coalition government for its lax regulation of the industry. He commented that,

The public perception is there that the regulatory function in this country is still not up to speed with the challenges of onshore oil and gas activity.

Extra resources to regulate the industry were essential he argued.

If we don’t do that, members of parliament like myself will find it very difficult to support this going forward because we will not allow anything to take place in our constituencies where the regulation is not robust, where the inspection is not independent, where the inspections are not unannounced. Anything short of that you will start to test the good will of members such as myself and the honourable member for Lancaster and Fleetwood [ Eric Ollerenshaw

In January 2015 Menzies was one of 52 MPs who voted for a fracking moratorium – or temporary ban on fracking in the UK – during the Third Reading debate of the Infrastructure Bill.

Affiliations

• All Party Parliamentary Group on Unconventional Oil and Gas, set up 2013