HC Deb 04 April 1985 vol 76 cc699-700W
Mr. Galley

asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many Acts of Parliament have been promoted and how many statutory instruments made by his Department, or predecessor Departments covering his areas of responsibility, in each of the last 20 years.

Mr. Stanley

HMSO publishes annually "Lists of Statutory Instruments" and "Tables and Indices to Public and General Acts and General Synod Measures". Both of these are currently up to date to the end of 1983. Such information as is readily available about the Acts of Parliament promoted by the Ministry of Defence in the last 20 years is as follows. There may however be other Acts relating to other defence topics which, having regard to the changes in the organisation of the Ministry, cannot be so readily identified.

Year
1965 1
1966 3
1967 1
1968 1
1969 2
1971 1
1973 1
1976 1
1980 1
1981 1
1982 1
1984 1

Given the changes to the machinery of government over the last 20 years apportionment of statutory instruments to the areas of present ministerial responsibility could only be done at disproportionate cost.