Lord Bruce of Doningtonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they propose to take to ensure that the Check List to ensure Good Quality European Legislation issued by the Regulatory Impact Unit of 24WA the Cabinet Office on 21 July is applied at all departmental levels. [HL4086]
§ Lord Falconer of ThorotonTheCheck List to ensure Good Quality European Legislation was issued as part of the Guide to Better European Regulation which my right honourable friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office, published on 21 July after wide consultation both within and without government.
The Government believe that the guide will help to ensure that Ministers and officials adhere to the principles of good regulation when developing EC legislation. The Guide sets out the steps UK officials must follow to complete the regulatory impact assessment for legislative proposals. It also offers lots of practical advice, including the check list, on how to go about producing good quality legislation at the European level. Use of the check list is not compulsory, but it is one means by which officials and Ministers may ensure that the correct procedures have been followed.
Copies of the guide, including the check list, have been sent to all UK departments. Officials in the Cabinet Office Regulatory Impact Unit are working with departments to ensure that the advice given in the guide is widely promulgated, but this is ultimately a decision for the departmental Ministers concerned. Officials are also working with the Centre for Management and Policy Studies on how the messages in the guide are fed into its training programme.