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Cabinet Office

Answer

Kali Mountford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made with the proposed Regulatory Reform Bill. [119824] Mr. Stringer: The Regulatory Reform Bill has today been published in draft, in order to allow the two Parliamentary Deregulation Committees to report on it prior to its formal introduction to Parliament. The House of Commons Deregulation Committee and its counterpart in the House of Lords have great expertise on the existing deregulation order-making power under the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. Their views on the proposed extension of this power will clearly be of great interest to the House when it comes to consider the Bill. `Publication of the draft Regulatory Reform Bill' (Cm 4713) contains the draft Bill, Explanatory Notes and other supporting material, and I have placed copies in the Libraries of the House, the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office. In addition to the changes to the deregulation order-making power, the draft Bill includes provisions to replace section 5 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994, which deals with enforcement of regulations. This policy was the subject of a public consultation exercise in Autumn 1999. The majority of those responding to the consultation document were supportive of the Government's proposals. I am today placing copies of the Government's response to that consultation exercise in the Libraries of the House, the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office. Copies of the Government's response to the earlier consultation exercise on the proposed changes to the deregulation order-making power, published in September 1999, are already in the Libraries.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

119824; 348 c407W

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Delegated legislation Enforcement Regulation Deregulation Committee Select Committee on Delegated Powers and Deregulation Statutory instruments

Legislation

Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994

Draft Regulatory Reform Bill

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk