HC Deb 09 March 2004 vol 418 cc1398-9W
Mr. Heald

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the progress made by the Better Regulation Task Force; and if he will make a statement. [159575]

Mr. Alexander

The Better Regulation Task Force provides an important contribution to the Government's work on better regulation.

Since its creation in 1997 it has produced 30 substantive reports with around 400 recommendations. The Government have accepted all but 10 of its recommendations.

Mr. Heald

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost was of(a) the establishment and (b) the maintenance since its establishment of the Better Regulation Task Force. [159573]

Mr. Alexander

The Better Regulation Task Force was established in 1997. Before July 1999, the cost of the Task Force was met from within the budget of the Regulatory Impact Unit in the Cabinet Office. It is not possible to identify specific costs for the Task Force within this overall budget.

Since July 1999, the Task Force has been supported by a dedicated support team. The costs of this, and the expenses of Task Force members, now amount to around £0.5 million per annum.

Mr. Heald

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent representations he has received on the Better Regulation Task Force; and if he will make a statement. [159580]

Mr. Alexander

The Better Regulation Task Force makes an important contribution to the Government's work on better regulation. I have discussed the work of the Task Force at a number of recent meetings including the seminar for MPs on better regulation held in January and the conference for independent regulators hosted by the NAO in October 2003.