HC Deb 01 May 2002 vol 384 cc866-7W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to his Department that have been implemented in each of the last four years, specifying(a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each. [39114]

Malcolm Wicks

The following EU legislation has been implementedCouncil Directive 98/49/EC on safeguarding the supplementary pension rights of employed and self-employed persons moving within the Community was implemented ahead of the deadline of 25 July 2001. The regulation that implements the European Social Fund (ESF) for the 2000–06 period is Regulation (EC) No.1784/1999 of the European Parliament and of the Council established on 12 July 1999. There have been three packages of Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations to Regulation (EEC) 1408/71 (Regulations (EC) 123/1998, 1399/1999 and 1386/2001). These are regular amendments to the EC regulations, which coordinate the operation of member states' social security schemes:

  • 123/98: Administrative changes.
  • 1399/99: Administrative changes.
  • 1386/01: Administrative changes.
  • 307/99: Extends the scope of the EC provisions on social security to cover students.

Information on costs to public funds and to businesses is not held in the format requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. It is limited to direct administration expenditure. Departments are required to produce regulatory impact assessments for proposals likely to impose significant costs on business. None was required for the above legislation.