HC Deb 21 October 2003 vol 411 cc489-91W
Dr. Cable

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many regulatory impact assessments have been produced by his Department since August 2001; if he will list those(a) produced following initial consultation with affected parties about the most appropriate methodology for assessing costs and other impacts and (b) which set out full commercial impacts, including profitability, employment, consumer prices and competitiveness, as recommended in Good Policy Making; and if he will make a statement. [132883]

Dawn Primarolo

HM Treasury, HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue have produced 50 final Regulatory Impact Assessments since August 2001. These are listed below and are available from the House Libraries and departmental web sites.

HM Treasury

The Building Societies Act 1986 (Electronic Communications) Order 2003; The Credit Unions Act 1979 (Commencement No.3) Order 2003; The Regulatory Reform (Credit Unions) Order 2003; Implementation of the Insurers Reorganisation and Winding-up Directive; Extension of Financial Services Regulation to Mortgages; Statutory Instruments Needed under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000; Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities (UCITS) (Second Amending Directive); Regulating Insurance Mediation; Regulating Mortgages; Orders to be made in support of the transfer of Audit responsibility for the Special Health Service Health Authorities from the Audit Commission to the Comptroller and Auditor General; The Electronic Commerce Directive (Financial Service & Markets) Regulations 2002—July 2001; FSMA Regulated Activities (Amendment) (No 2) Order 2002—July 2001; Fourth Motor Insurance Directive Regulations 2002—October 2001; FSMA 2000 (Administration Orders relating to Insurers) Order 2002; Implementation of the Money Directive 2002; The Money Laundering Regulations 2001; The Protection of the Euro against Counterfeiting Regulations; The Insurance (Fees) regulation 2001; The Credit Unions (Increases in Limits on Deposits by persons too young to be members of Periods for Repayments of Loans) Order 2001; FSMA 2000 (Promotion of Collective Investment Schemes) (Exemptions) Order 2001; The Open Ended Investment Companies Regulations 2001.

Inland Revenue

Mandatory Electronic Payment for Large Employers, Payroll Services; National Insurance Contributions—Offshore Manning Taxation of UK Branches of Foreign Companies; Payments by Employers towards the incidental costs of Home working; Simplification of Employee Share Schemes; Stamp Duty in Disadvantaged Areas Extension of the Relief to all Non-Residential Property; Corporation Tax Relief and Employee Share Schemes ISAS—Simplified Voiding for Investor Error; Tax Law Rewrite Project—Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Bill; The New Tax Credits; National Insurance Contributions Bill; Fuel Scale Charge; Reform of the Taxation of Intangible Assets; Construction Industry Scheme; Research and Development Tax Credits for Large Companies/ Vaccines Research Relief; Exemptions for Gains and Losses on Substantial Shareholdings; Reform of the Corporate Debt, Financial Instruments and Foreign Exchange; Gains and Losses Regimes; Community Amateur Sports Club; Appendix to Enterprise Management Incentive.

Construction Industry Scheme: Issue of CIS5 (Partner) Certificates; Life Insurance Policies Etc.—Information Duties of Insurers.

HM Customs and Excise

Simplified Import VAT Accounting 2003; VAT Strategy: Joint and Several Liability 2003; VAT Strategy: Input Tax deduction without a valid VAT invoice 2003; Extension of the VAT Annual Accounting Scheme and the Flat Rate Scheme, and relaxations to the VAT Default Surcharge Scheme 2003; Oils Fraud Strategy 2002; VAT Flat Rate Scheme and changes to the Annual Accounting Scheme 2002; New VAT registration forms 2001; Proposal for a Council Directive Amending the Sixth VAT Directive to simplify, modernise and harmonise the conditions laid down for VAT invoicing 2001.

The costs associated to regulatory proposals are considered at the policy development stage. A Regulatory Impact Assessment is completed for regulatory proposals unless there are no or negligible costs.

An RIA considers the consequences of proposals, improving the quality of advice to Ministers and encouraging informed public debate. An RIA sets out the impact, in terms of costs, benefits and risks of the proposed regulation that could affect businesses, charities or the voluntary sector.