§ Mr. Stephen O'BrienTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the statement of 10 December 2003,Official Report, column 1064, on the Pre-Budget Report, how many regulatory impact assessments produced by his Department referring to the 147 regulations for reform or removal have been placed in the Library, including their reference numbers; and what the estimated benefit to business is in each case. [178831]
§ Ruth KellyNone of the 147 deregulatory measures announced in the Pre-Budget Report were the responsibility of HM Treasury. The Department did not, therefore, produce any of the Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) linked to the 147 regulations for reform or removal which were announced with the Pre-Budget Report in December 2003. Among the regulations to reform there were several measures with direct benefits for business, including the increase to the statutory audit threshold, which freed 69,000 businesses from the obligation to undergo an independent audit. Final RIAs are laid in the House Library, and all published RIAs are also available from departmental websites.