The company at the centre of anti-fracking protests in Balcombe is to give evidence about shale gas at the House of Lords on Tuesday (November 5^th).

Francis Egan, Chief Executive of Cuadrilla, is one of four company bosses to appear before the Economic Affairs Committee. The others are Andrew Austin, CEO of IGas Energy, Tom Crotty, Director of INEOS, and Andrew Mackenzie, Gas Procurement Manager of INEOS.

The House of Lords diary says the committee is expected to ask questions about:

• The scope for commercial shale gas extraction in the UK
• Which areas are most likely to produce shale gas
• When production might start

The session is in Committee Room 1, starting at 3.35pm, and is open to the public. The session will be webcast at www.parliamentlive.tv

Cuadrilla has planning permission to drill in at Preese Hall in Lancashire and has submitted a renewed application to test drill at Balcombe. IGas has planning permission to drill at Irland and Ellesmere Port near Liverpool. INEOS, the chemicals company which owns the Grangemouth refinery near Falkirk, recently advertised for a Shale Gas Development Project Manager. The post holder is to be responsible reviewing the opportunities for INEOS from UK shale gas.