§ Mr. SproatTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will seek to ensure that in future a publicly announced compliance cost assessment will be obligatory when announcing new Government regulations.
§ Mr. Neil HamiltonSince 1986 the Government have placed a general requirement on all departments to prepare and publish compliance cost assessments (CCAs) when developing proposals likely to affect business. Draft CCAs feature increasingly in consultation between Government and business. We are reinforcing our commitment to the CCA process. From now on, as agreed at the Prime Minister's seminar on 2 February 1993, there is a more stringent requirement that a CCA must be published alongside any Government legislative proposals having an impact on business.