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Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill

moved Amendment No. 19: Page 2, line 6, at end insert— ““( ) For the purposes of subsection (2), where a Minister of the Crown considers that a rule or regulation is causing a burden or burdens on the ground that it is hard to understand, he must lay an order within no more than three months revoking or clarifying that rule or regulation.”” The noble Baroness said: The amendment will bring an impetus to the deregulatory process, imposing a duty on a Minister to initiate the order-making process within three months when he or she considers that a regulation is causing difficulties through its complexity or confusing language. It will toughen up the process. There is nothing in the Bill that forces a Minister to get a move on and drive his department forward in getting regulations removed or clarified. I can see procrastination creeping in at every stage of the process. We need a firm commitment in the Bill to swift and aggressive deregulation. It is no use having the means to get burdens removed but no means to get the Minister to go ahead with the process. I beg to move.