§ Mr. FavellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his latest estimate of the cost of the implementation of European Community draft directive document No. 4717/91 on eco-labelling to(a) the Exchequer (i) directly and (ii) channelled via the European institutions, (b) industry and (c) the British consumer.
§ Mr BaldryThe precise cost of administering a European Community scheme of eco-labelling in the United Kingdom cannot be calculated until the final form of the scheme is agreed. Provisionally, we estimate that expenditure might initially be in the order of £1 million per year, which over time would be increasingly offset by income.
It is not possible to identify separately the costs channeled via the European institutions of implementing the scheme. In practice the actual United Kingdom contribution to the EC budget for individual programmes will depend not only on the level of expenditure, but also on the level and timing of payments, and the relative share of the programme.
It is not practicable to estimate the direct costs, if any, of an eco-labelling scheme to industry or consumers. The scheme will be voluntary and it will, therefore, be a commercial and market judgment for industry whether to apply for labels.