asked the Minister for Energy 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.
In accordance with a recent Government decision to ease the burden of legislative and administrative requirements on business, I have initiated a programme to review the statutory and information requirements of my Department and the bodies under its aegis which impact on business and industry. The review, which is being co-ordinated by the Personnel Officer, covers all my Department's activities and a report will shortly be presented to the Minister for Industry and Commerce.
As the legislation currently being prepared and processed by my Department does not contain any compliance costs to industry, it has not been necessary to carry out a compliance cost assessment. However, when appropriate, such assessments will of course be undertaken.