Regulatory Impact Unit (Hansard, 21 October 1999)

§ Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will make a statement on the progress and achievements of the Regulatory Impact Unit. [94600]

§ Marjorie Mowlam
The Regulatory Impact Unit (RIU) was launched in March this year. Since then it has introduced the scrutiny of regulatory proposals to ensure that their impact has been properly assessed. It has published the Guide to Better European Regulation and continues to promote the use of the Better Regulation Guide. It has agreed with Departments that they will include regulatory performance reports in their Annual Reports. It has launched, on the Cabinet Office website and on the intranet of other government departments, an IT based checklist for policymakers.
The RIU has supported the Better Regulation Task Force in the production of its reports, reviews and other activities.
The RIU has also consulted about reform of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. The Government intend to bring forward reforms when parliamentary time allows.

§ Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will list the responsibilities, aims and objectives of the Regulatory Impact Unit. [94601]

§ Marjorie Mowlam
The RIU is part of the Cabinet Office and therefore shares its aims and objectives. In particular it plays a part in the Cabinet Office Public Service Agreement (PSA) to develop public services, programmes and regulation across the public sector which meet the needs of users and which are of a high quality, modern and well co-ordinated. Under the (PSA) it has been committed to introducing arrangements for the audit and evaluation of better government practice including the preparation of Regulatory Impact Assessments.
The RIU: helps Ministers and Departments find the right legislative balance to achieve proper standards of protection without unnecessary impact on business; scrutinises regulatory proposals to ensure that they have been properly assessed in line with the best practice that it develops and circulates such as the Better Regulation Guide and the Guide to Better European Regulation;
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works with other Member States and the European Commission to improve the quality of legislative proposals at the European level; promotes the Enforcement Concordat; operates the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 and develops proposals for its reform; and supports the Better Regulation Task Force in the production of its reports, reviews and other activities.