§ Mr. SteenTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) which organisations and companies his Department has consulted with regard to directive 76/768/EEC, as amended by the sixth amendment 93/35/EEC; what was the nature of the consultation; and what discussions have taken place on the cost to the industry of implementing the directive as amended, and the effect it will have on jobs and profitability of the companies involved; [28547]
(2) if he will ensure that the draft regulations to implement in the United Kingdom directive 76/768/EEC, amended by a sixth amendment, directive 93/35/EEC, do not impose obligations not required by the directive; and when he hopes to publish the draft regulation on the cost of enforcement and the result of the compliance cost assessment investigations. [28533]
§ Mr. Jonathan EvansPreliminary consultations on the implementation of directive 93/35/EEC have taken place with industry, trade associations, Government Departments and animal welfare groups. Full consultation on draft regulations to implement the directive, together with a compliance cost assessment is planned for the autumn. It is not my intention to impose any obligations on companies beyond those introduced by the directive.