§ Mr. Andy KingTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made by the high-level consultative group on better regulation set up by the Strasbourg meeting of European Ministers of Public Administration last November. [153703]
§ Mr. StringerFollowing the decision by the Ministers of Public Administration, the first meeting of the Group took place on 21 December in Paris. Chaired by Dieudonné Mandelkern, the French representative, the Group agreed its work plan for the first four months in accordance with its mandate from the Ministers. It decided to look at five themes—codification of existing legislation, simplification, improving consultation, impact assessment (including alternatives to regulation) and the administrative structures needed to support this. I have placed a copy of this work plan and a copy of the Ministers' resolution establishing the Group in the Library of the House.
The second and third meetings of the Group looked at each of the five themes identified, resulting in agreement on the Group's initial report at its meeting in Paris on 26–27 February. On the suggestion of the Swedish representative, the Group also decided it should be known as the "Mandelkern Group' in future, after its chairman. I have placed a copy of the initial report in the Library of the House.
The Group's initial report is an excellent document covering the main issues of better regulation. Alongside espousing some general principles of better regulation, it makes specific and practical recommendations on each of the five key themes. It is being discussed by the Internal Market Council today and will then be one of the 429W contributions to the Stockholm European Council on 23–24 March. This document is a very positive development, representing as it does the first time that representatives of all 15 European member states have endorsed such a specific text on better regulation.