HC Deb 09 February 1993 vol 218 cc558-9W
Mr. Sproat

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement giving details of the progress being made in promoting deregulation throughout the Government.

Mr. Neil Hamilton

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by the Prime Minister on Thursday 4 February 1993,Official Report, column 470, in which he outlined the conclusions of his seminar on 2 February. My Department is pressing ahead with the arrangements for the review of the 7,000 regulations which impact on business. We have issued guidance throughout Whitehall on compliance cost assessment, and are instituting arrangements to ensure that these are published for all measures which impact on business. We are beginning to see evidence of success in decisions to review regulatory proposals to minimise the burden these impose on business.

Mr. Sproat

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has for the Government's deregulation programme to include the requirement of a publicly announced risk assessment when announcing new Government regulations.

Mr. Neil Hamilton

We are encouraging the wider use of risk assessment techniques in determining the need for regulation. This is to ensure that problems are correctly defined and the measures proposed to deal with them are correctly targeted and in proportion. We shall consider my hon. Friend"s suggestion.