§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff have been employed on the deregulation task force; and what is the total estimated cost of its operations since it was established. [42031]
§ Mr. FreemanThe deregulation task force is assisted by three staff in the deregulation unit of the Cabinet Office, who provide administrative support. Its members are not paid, but they receive travel and subsistence expenses.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many committees and sub-committees of the deregulation task force have been established since its inception; and how many reports have been produced by them. [42030]
§ Mr. FreemanThere have been 10 ad hoc working groups since the inception of the deregulation task force, of which some have included non-task force members. The task force has produced two reports: "The Charities and Voluntary Organisations Report", which was published in July; and the task force's first annual report, which was published in September. Copies of both reports have been placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many of the 870 regulations identified by the deregulation task force were introduced since 1979. [42029]
§ Mr. FreemanThe 870 recommendations were made by Lord Sainsbury's eight deregulation task forces and published in 1994. The recommendations did not just identify regulations but covered other areas, such as enforcement. It would involve disproportionate cost to identify how many of the regulations on which the task force made recommendations were introduced since 1979. The text of the recommendations and the commentary on the progress made in implementing them has been placed in the Library of the House.