Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many EU directives have been transposed into UK law without any additional material being included since the coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty, and what percentage of the total number of directives transposed that number represents.

The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, in July 2011 the Government put in place its Guiding Principles for EU Legislation, which state that the Government will not go beyond the minimum requirements of the measure which is being transposed, save in exceptional circumstances. Since the Guiding Principles have applied there have been only five instances of new “gold-plating” of EU Directives that have placed additional costs on business which is attached.