HC Deb 19 July 1996 vol 281 cc734-5W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the average annual cost to British businesses as a percentage of turnover, of the annual auditing requirements. [37381]

Mr. Oppenheim

I have made no such estimate. To extract this information from the audited accounts of even a statistical sample of companies could be done only at disproportionate cost.