Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions he has had with business organisations on the impact of regulatory compliance costs on (a) profitability and (b) competitiveness.

Last year the Government launched a Call for Evidence on the UK's regulatory landscape to hear directly from business how regulation could be improved. In March we launched our Action Plan for Regulation, committing to cut administrative costs of regulation for business by 25%, giving them essential time back to focus on growing their businesses. The Secretary of State and I held a call with businesses and representative organisations, including Airbus, the British Retail Consortium and UK Space, to hear their feedback on the Action Plan. Officials in my department continue to engage regularly to support our regulatory reform agenda.