HC Deb 30 October 1996 vol 284 cc149-50W
Mr. Clifton-Brown

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those compliance cost assessments published during the latest six-month period. [1738]

Mr. Freeman

Since April 1993, the Government have required Departments to prepare and publish compliance cost assessments with all proposed legislation presented to Parliament to assess the impact on business costs.

This includes a special test of the impact on small businesses. Since January 1996, the responsible Minister has had to certify that he has seen the compliance cost assessment and is satisfied that the regulatory proposal strikes an appropriate balance between cost and benefit.

I have presented to Parliament today a Command Paper listing 105 CCAs published between 1 January 1996 and 30 June 1996 plus three CCAs published between 1 July 1995 and 31 December 1995 which were omitted from the previous Command Paper. Copies of the CCAs listed are available in the House Libraries. This is the fifth such Command Paper and further papers listing CCAs published in the preceding six-month period will be published at six-monthly intervals.