§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what reductions were achieved in the compliance costs of regulation administered by his Department and its public bodies for the last year for which data are available; what mechanisms exist for monitoring the post-implementation costs of such regulation; and if he has established targets for reduction in the compliance costs of regulation administered by his Department and its public bodies. [92313]
§ Mr. MealeDetails of regulations that imposed compliance costs on business are published in the Department's regulatory impact assessments and laid in both Houses. A summary of all the regulatory assessments published by the Department and other regulatory Departments in Whitehall are published every six months in a White Paper, and are available on a monthly basis on the Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit's website.
The Department includes a section on its regulatory activity in its Annual Report.
There is no arbitrary target for reducing the compliance costs of regulation. However, all departments are required to make an assessment of the risks, costs and benefits of any regulatory proposal that has an impact on business, charities and voluntary bodies before they decide to act. Without an assessment of this kind there can be no collective agreement of a regulatory proposal.