Business Regulation
Culture Media and Sport

Chuka Umunna (Streatham, Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many regulations that impose costs on businesses his Department has (a) introduced and (b) removed since 1 September 2010; what the net effect on the costs on businesses of such introductions and removals was; and what regulations have been excluded from the one-in one-out system because they address (i) emergencies and (ii) systemic financial risks since 1 September 2010.

John Penrose (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport; Weston-Super-Mare, Conservative)

Since 1 September 2010, the Department introduced three statutory instruments which impose costs on business:

1. The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011.

2. The Electronic Communications (Universal Service) (Amendment) Order 2011.

3. The Electronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy Regulations 2011.

The equivalent annual direct impact on business is about £8 million. The annual benefit to business is £0.3 million, but is expected to bring additional non-monetised benefits which are substantially more than the costs.

Since 1 September 2010, the Department has not removed any regulations which impose costs on businesses, nor excluded any regulations from the one-in one-out system because of emergencies or systemic financial risks.