§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of her Department have been employed in its regulatory impact unit in the past five years; and if she will make a statement. [65967]
§ Mr. MorleySince the creation of DEFRA on 8 June 2001 there have been four people working full time in the Better Regulation Unit. The unit is supervised by a member of the senior civil service who is also engaged on other duties.
It is the job of Departmental Regulatory Impact Units to establish and promote the principles of good regulation in their Departments. The staff in each unit work closely 380W with the officials responsible for developing policies within their Department and the Regulatory Impact Unit within Cabinet Office. They focus on those regulations that impact on business, charities, and the voluntary sector.