asked the Minister for Finance if he is conducting an audit of paperwork requirements imposed by his Department or by agencies under his aegis, on business; if so, when the audit commenced; the named officer, if any, in charge of the audit; if any report thereon has yet been presented to the Minister for Industry and Commerce; if so, the contents thereof; if any practices or regulations have yet been altered as a result of the audit; if so, the details thereof; if he has prepared any report on the compliance costs to industry of legislation being prepared by his Department; the way in which these reports compare in content, scope or purpose with reports on this subject already required by decisions of the previous Government; and if he will outline the subjects being covered by the audit now being conducted in his Department.
Written Answers. - Paperwork Requirements Imposed on Business.
The Government has decided recently that each Minister should initiate a programme to review the statutory and information requirements of his Department and the bodies under its aegis which impact on business and industry.
My Department is currently engaged in carrying out such a review, which is being co-ordinated by the Personnel and Organisation Section. As it will be some time before the results are available I am not in a position to give the Deputy any further details on the matter at this stage.
The new compliance cost assessments which have now been introduced cover the assessment of all costs (including administrative costs) to industry of compliance with any proposed new regulations or amendments to existing regulations which impact on industry. This compares with an earlier requirement in operation since March 1985, which covered only new proposals being submitted to Government and which called for an estimate of the direct industrial costs involved in the proposals.