Written question asked by Stephen O'Brien (Conservative) on Wednesday, 11 February 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 March 2004. It was answered by Nigel Griffiths (Labour) on Thursday, 4 March 2004 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her Answer of 2nd February 2004, 417 649W, on regulatory impact assessments, what assessment she has made of the frequency with which the costs and benefits of regulations to consumers are considered in the course of regulatory impact assessments.

Answer: Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 2 February 2004, Official Report, column 649W, on regulatory impact assessments, what assessment she has made of the frequency with which the costs and benefits of regulations to consumers are considered in the course of regulatory impact assessments. [155490] Nigel Griffiths: The Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) process requires policy makers to assess the impact on all areas of society affected by a proposal. Where appropriate, therefore, the impact on consumers will be assessed in the RIA. An estimate of the frequency with which consumers are referred cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. All RIAs must include a competition assessment which looks at the impact of a proposal on UK customers.

Secondary information