Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 40907 on Business: Regulation, what metric is used for the 25% reduction from 2005 to 2010; whether it was gross or net of EU regulation; and if he will provide a relevant hyperlink or source to that reduction.

The Administrative Burden Reduction Programme of 2005-10, which delivered a total reduction of 26.62% by May 2010, defined the administrative costs of regulation as “the annual recurring costs of administrative activities that businesses and the third sector are required to perform, in order to comply with the obligations that are imposed through central government regulation.” The programme calculated these administrative costs net of EU regulation. The final report is available at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/simplifying-regulation-and-administration-of-businesses-final-report