§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated annual cost(a) to butchers and (b) to public funds is of the implementation and enforcement of the Butchers' Licensing Regulations. [49255]
§ Yvette CooperI am advised by the Food Standards Agency that a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) was published in April 2000 to coincide with the introduction of the Butchers' Licensing Regulations in England.
The RIA estimated the annual cost per butcher's shop would be approximately £490, comprising £100 payable by the butcher on receipt of a licence from the local authority and an average cost of £390 per shop for staff hygiene training necessary to satisfy one of the licensing conditions. The total recurring compliance costs for the butchery sector were estimated at £3.3 million per annum.
The annual costs to public funds stem from the issue of licences by the local authorities. The RIA estimated the £100 licence fee, which is retained in full by the issuing local authority, would offset these costs.
A copy of the RIA is available in the Library.
Separate butchers' licensing schemes have been introduced in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and are the responsibility of the devolved administrations in those parts of the United Kingdom.