HC Deb 20 January 1993 vol 217 cc367-9
10. Mr. Gill

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made in ridding industry of unnecessary legislative burdens.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Corporate Affairs (Mr. Neil Hamilton)

We have taken a wide range of measures in Whitehall, in town halls and in the European Community to promote deregulation. For the first time, all Government Departments have had to undertake a census of their regulations. Following that, by 1 April they will be providing me with their candidates for repeal and simplification.

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade will shortly be announcing the terms of reference of a scrutiny of the formulation of European Community law and its implementation and enforcement in the United Kingdom, and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will shortly be holding a seminar for Cabinet and other Ministers and senior civil servants to impress on them the importance of achieving results in the deregulation initiative before the next Government reshuffle.

Mr. Gill

I am sure that many people employed in the wealth-generating sector of the economy in my constituency and in the rest of the country will be encouraged by my hon. Friend's positive response. Will he assure the House that, in considering those important matters, the Government understand that what bothers the entrepreneur and imposes a high cost burden on industry is not just one individual piece of legislation, but an amalgam of hundreds of them?

Mr. Hamilton

I fully agree with my hon. Friend that the greatest burden of regulation falls upon smaller businesses. That is a tremendous distraction from wealth creation and job creation, and we at the Department of Trade and Industry are determined to play our part in reducing that burden.

Mr. Trimble

May I draw the Minister's attention to the problems experienced by exporters, especially in the implementation of the single market? Their job has not become easier, despite no longer having to regain certain classes of papers, because under the new value added tax regulations they have to find out the VAT numbers of the persons to whom they are exporting. They have considerable difficulty, especially when dealing with countries where the cultural attitude to tax matters is different from our own.

Mr. Hamilton

I agree that, although the single European market offers great opportunities for businesses in this country and, overall, has reduced the burden of regulation, there is still much more that can be done. I am keeping a wary eye out for opportunities to reduce the burdens. If the hon. Gentleman comes across any examples among his constituents' businesses, I should be grateful if he would send me the details.

Sir Michael Grylls

Most hon. Members will give enthusiastic support to my hon. Friend's vigorous campaign to get rid of unnecessary burdens and overbearing Government measures affecting all sorts of industries, but will he ensure that he is informed of any new burdens proposed by other Departments, especially regulations and secondary legislation? Supported by the President of the Board of Trade, will my hon. Friend do all in his power to ensure that, at the highest level, Ministers are told to bring proposals to him first to find out whether they are really necessary?

Mr. Hamilton

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. He has been a doughty fighter in the cause of deregulation for many years in the House. Each Department now has its own deregulation Minister, whose responsibility within that Department is to ensure that if any new regulations are proposed they are proportionate and not too costly to businesses in this country. The deregulation initiative is centrally co-ordinated from within my Department, so I can assure my hon. Friend that I shall subject proposals from other Departments for increased regulation to the closest possible scrutiny.