HC Deb 20 May 2003 vol 405 cc715-6W
Mr. Paul Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new regulations on business have been introduced in each year since 1997. [111923]

Ms Hewitt

The number of Statutory Instruments (SIs) that this Department has passed is as follows:

  • 1997: 130
  • 1998: 135
  • 1999: 178
  • 2000: 148
  • 2001: 126
  • 2002: 109

Only a small proportion of SIs have a significant impact on business. Of the 109 SIs produced in 2002, 11 have produced cost savings for business and 77 have had negligible or no impact. A regulatory impact assessment is produced for all SIs that have a cost to or benefit for business and copies are available from the Libraries of the House.