§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what is the annual budget for his departmental deregulation unit; how many staff it employs; and of these how many(a) are career civil servants and of what grades, (b) have been seconded from business, and (c) have experience of the private sector. [30062]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 21 May 1996]: The Department of National Heritage is responsible for very few regulations and does not have a stand-alone deregulation unit as such. Three civil servants in the strategy and systems division at grades 5, 7 and EO deal with deregulation matters as part of their remit to cover inter-departmental issues. Members of other divisions with specific areas of responsibility, particularly tourism, also handle deregulation as it affects their areas, liaising with the central staff as necessary. Thus it is not possible to identify a budgetary allocation as being dedicated to this activity.
None of the staff in the central unit has private sector experience, or has been seconded from business.
313W