Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is Government policy to produce impact assessments in respect of legislation introduced in Parliament.

Government policy in respect of legislation is set out in the Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation published on GOV.UK. On page 110 this makes clear impact assessments are generally required where:

· legislation will impose or reduce costs on businesses or civil society organisations;

· impose or remove a new information obligation for the public sector;

· introduce any other administrative burdens or unfunded policy costs of £5 million or more (annual equivalent costs) on the public sector; or

· where there is an exchange or ‘transfer’ of costs or benefits from one group to another, even where it does not yield an overall net change in costs and benefits.