§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 (Commencement No. 2 and Consequential Provisions) Order 2001; and if he will make a statement. [50734]
§ Jacqui SmithCosts associated with regulatory proposals are considered at the policy development stage. A regulatory impact assessment (RIA) is completed for regulatory proposals unless there are no or negligible costs, and sets out the impact, in terms of costs, benefits and risks of the proposed regulation which could affect businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. RIAs are available from the Library.
We have yet to have a full year's operation of the Children (Leaving Care) Act, as it was introduced in October 2001. In addition, we have commissioned an evaluation on costs and outcomes for care leavers from the University of York, which will report early in 2004.