Regulatory Reform Bill (Hansard, 18 April 2000)

§ The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)

The Regulatory Reform Bill has today been published in draft, in order to allow the two Parliamentary Deregulation Committees to report on it prior to its formal introduction to Parliament. The 95WA Delegated Powers and Deregulation Committee and its counterpart in the House of Commons have great expertise on the existing deregulation order-making power under the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. Their views on the proposed extension of this power will clearly be of great interest to the House when it comes to consider the Bill. Publication of the draft Regulatory Reform Bill (Cm 4713) contains the draft Bill, Explanatory Notes and other supporting material, and I have placed copies in the Libraries of the House, the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.

In addition to the changes to the deregulation order-making power, the draft Bill includes provisions to replace Section 5 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994, which deals with enforcement of regulations. This policy was the subject of a public consultation exercise in autumn 1999. The majority of those responding to the consultation document were supportive of the Government's proposals. Copies of the Government's response to that consultation exercise have today been placed in the Libraries of the House, the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office. Copies of the Government's response to the earlier consultation exercise on the proposed changes to the deregulation order-making power, published in September 1999, are already in the Libraries.