§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with and with how many(a) small firms and (b) small firms organisations about the compliance costs of the Asylum and Immigration Bill; if a small business litmus test was completed on the bill; and what conclusions his Department came to regarding the compliance costs to small firms of the Bill. [36658]
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 15 July 1996]: We invited views on the estimates set out in the compliance cost assessment published last November from organisations representing small and large firms. Of the nine organisations representing small firms to which CCA was sent none raised concerns about the likely compliance costs or about the estimates provided in the CCA.
A preliminary assessment of the effect of the provision on smaller firms was provided in the CCA. Discussions with a number of small firms are currently nearing completion. Provisional conclusions suggest that the compliance costs for the great majority of small firms will be minimal.
£000 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 CAFOD 1,300 1,500 1,810 1,864 1,920 Christian Aid 2,210 2,410 2,830 2,915 3,003 Oxfam 4,100 4,300 5,000 5,150 5,304 SCF 3,510 3,710 4,320 4,450 4,583 WWF 1,510 1,710 2,040 2,100 2,164