asked the Minister for Justice 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 the 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. - Departmental Audits.
The Government decided recently that each Minister should: (a) 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 and send a report on the review to the Minister for Industry and Commerce for assessment by the Industrial Costs Monitoring Group, (b) appoint an officer to be responsible for the programme and (c) arrange to have compliance cost assessments made of all proposed new, or changes in, regulatory requirements affecting industry.
My Department is currently engaged in the review of statutory and information requirements. The principal officer in charge of the Secretariat Division is responsible for it. As it will be some time before the results are available I am not in a position go give the Deputy any further details now.
Compliance cost assessments will be made where appropriate. No such assessments have been made to date as there have not been any proposals for new, or changes in, regulatory requirements affecting industry since the Government decision was made.