§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement setting out the detailed arrangements which will be adopted for the assessment of the impact on companies which will precede all future regulations, indicating what role businesses will play in that assessment and the way in which the results of the assessment will be published.
§ Mr. Neil HamiltonThe detailed arrangements for assessing the impact on companies of proposed regulations are set out in "Checking the Cost to Business: A Guide to Compliance Cost Assessment", a copy of which I am arranging to be deposited in the Library of the House. As indicated in paragraph 9, section 1 of this booklet, business should be encouraged to comment critically on the assessment so that the final assessment is as accurate as possible. The arrangements for publishing the results of the assessment for proposed domestic legislation were set out in my written reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester, North (Mr. Jenkin) on 19 October,Official Report, column 202. The arrangements for publishing the assessments for proposed EC legislation were set out in the written reply by my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Mr. Page) on 19 July, Official Report, column 24.