HC Deb 16 December 2002 vol 396 cc624-5W
Mr. Prisk

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many times the Panel for Regulatory Accountability has met in the last year; what allowances from public funds are made available to members of the Panel for Regulatory Accountability; and what the cost was in each year since 1997. [87609]

Mr. Alexander

The panel has been a Cabinet Committee since July 2001. It is established practice under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committee business is not disclosed.

Prior to this, no allowances from public funds were made available to members of the panel in relation to their membership.

Mr. Prisk

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many regulatory reform orders have been made since the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 came into force; how many regulatory reform orders are before Parliament; and how many proposed regulatory reform orders were out to public consultation on 1 December. [87604]

Mr. Alexander

Since the Regulatory Reform Act came into force in April 2001 we have made six regulatory reform orders (RROs). There are a further seven RROs undergoing parliamentary scrutiny. On 1 December there were no proposed RROs out for consultation, but consultation had just ended on four RROs.

Mr. Prisk

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the total savings to business as a result of regulatory reform orders made to date; and what estimate his Department has made of the potential savings to business of(a) regulatory reform orders before Parliament and (b) proposed regulatory reform orders out to public consultation on 1 December. [87605]

Mr. Alexander

The Regulatory Reform Action Plan, which was published in February 2002, listed 268 items, of which 63 were potential Regulatory Reform Orders (RROs), 160 related to business. No total estimate of savings has been made. All Regulatory Reform Orders have to be accompanied by a full Regulatory Impact Assessment, setting out the costs and benefits. Departments have been asked to make these available to the House of Commons Library and on departmental websites.