§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the rules and regulations in her Department which have been withdrawn in the last 12 months, or which her Department plans to withdraw in the next 12 months; and what impact this will have on her Department's manpower.
§ Mr. SackvilleWe withdrew three sets of regulations in 1994 relating to medicines control. A good deal of deregulatory activity consists of amending or replacement regulation, or new and better guidance, rather than withdrawal. For example, we have amended regulations to allow more medicines to be sold over the counter without the need for a prescription; issued new guidance on welfare inspections of independent boarding schools and on regulation of day care for young children, reduced the number of boarding schools required to register as children's homes; and widened choice of venue for people getting married. The Department is continuing to consider rules and regulations for possible withdrawal or simplification. Details will be announced as and when consultations are completed.
There are no manpower effects for the Department, but we are committed to reducing staffing in the central Department by 21 per cent. by April 1997.