Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards negotiating each of their intended financial service equivalence regimes with the EU. [T]
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Equivalence assessments are unilateral processes and thus not part of the ongoing negotiations on the future UK/EU partnership. The UK and EU are currently conducting their own assessments in line with their internal processes, collecting information from the corresponding authorities.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to exclude from the qualifying regulatory provisions used for the business impact target any measures other than those set out in section 22(4) of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.
Answered by Lord Henley
We are considering the most appropriate scope for the business impact target and will make an announcement in due course. The statutory deadline for determining the target, scope and methodology of the business impact target is 20 June.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to include within the definition of qualifying regulatory provisions for the business impact target (1) all EU-derived domestic legislation retained after the UK leaves the EU, and (2) all regulations made under the provisions of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.
Answered by Lord Henley
We are considering the most appropriate scope for the business impact target and will make an announcement in due course. The statutory deadline for determining the target, scope and methodology of the business impact target is 20 June.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how, and when, they intend to consult with businesses, consumers, and representatives of civil society, on the business impact target, and interim target, to be published under section 21 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government engages regularly with representatives of businesses, consumers and civil society on all aspects of its better regulation agenda, including the business impact target. In setting the target, the Government will have regard to delivering efficient regulation while keeping the costs to business and voluntary or community bodies to the minimum.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will announce the appointment of the independent body to verify assessments and lists in reports under section 25 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.
Answered by Lord Henley
The independent verification body will be appointed in due course and before the business impact target is set, as required under section 25 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which body will be appointed as the Independent Verification Body, in accordance with section 25 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government is considering which body to appoint and will make a decision in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the Grenfell Tower fire, what consideration they have given to increasing the scope of the Regulatory Policy Committee so that it can rate impact assessments on the basis of the evidence presented relating to wider societal impacts.
Answered by Lord Henley
All impact assessments are required to include analysis of the wider societal impacts in line with Green Book rules and these are agreed by senior civil service analysts and where considered significant, signed off by Chief Economists. The role of the Regulatory Policy Committee is to provide independent scrutiny of the quality of evidence and the robustness of estimates in the impact assessment, and they can already provide comment and scrutiny on the analysis of wider impacts.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what approach they will take to deliver better regulation during the current Parliament.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government is considering how the better regulation system will operate in this Parliament. It will be important to have a system that continues to support well-targeted and effective regulations which protect the public.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 16 July (HL1057), which specific pieces of legislation passed between 1985 and 2015 relate exclusively to England.
Answered by Baroness Stowell of Beeston
The Government has not performed a retrospective assessment of which laws passed since 1985 relate exclusively to England in their entirety. Under the Government’s proposals on English Votes for English Laws, the application of the proposed new rules to future legislation will be a matter for the Speaker of the House of Commons, considering both the application of the legislation and whether or not the matters in question are devolved.
The Speaker will not only certify bills as a whole, but also clauses and schedules within bills under this test.
Asked by: Baroness Andrews (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Acts of Parliament passed since 1985 would have fallen into the category of a law which affects England alone, as set out in the statement by the Leader of the House of Commons on 2 July; and what percentage of the total number of laws passed since 1985 this represents.
Answered by Baroness Stowell of Beeston
The Government has not performed a retrospective assessment of the application of the proposed new rules, as to do so would rely upon past devolution settlements. In applying the rules in future, the certification of Bills introduced would be a matter for the Speaker of the House of Commons.