Written question asked by Lord Taylor of Holbeach (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Thursday, 3 April 2008.

Agriculture: Disease Testing

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (Fees) Order 2008 (SI 2008/652) increased the fee for administrative services in connection with testing from £134 to £1,650.

Answer: It is government policy that regulatory and approval regimes are cost-neutral and that regulatory bodies charge appropriate fees. It is not considered appropriate for Defra and the taxpayer to subsidise the mechanism when manufacturers in industry benefit from the sale of their products. Prior to the revision of fees in 2005, no fees relating to the approval mechanism had been revised since 1991. This had resulted in a growing disparity between what Defra was allowed to charge under the Order and the actual costs incurred. In 2004, industry were informed of the proposal that the fees would be revised to start to recover the costs for testing and that fees would be revised to recover the administrative cost later. Defra did not increase the administrative fee for the approval mechanism when testing fees were reviewed. This was because a fundamental overhaul of the approval process was planned and is now complete.

Secondary information