Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the effect on small businesses of them meeting CE marking requirements on their products; and if he will make a statement.

The CE marking indicates that a product complies with one or more pieces of EU Single Market legislation. The cost of compliance for small businesses therefore varies significantly depending on which legislation applies, and reflects factors such as the complexity of the product and the risks associated with it. Whilst I have not made a specific assessment of these costs at an aggregate level, I will continue to press the European Commission to identify opportunities to reduce the burden of complying with Single Market legislation, particularly for SMEs, wherever possible.