How it has applied the European Commission's Action Plan on Better Regulation; how many regulatory impact assessments have been conducted b…

Under the devolution settlement in the UK, matters of EU policy are reserved to the UK Government. However, the Scottish Executive fully supports the UK Government’s response to the European Commission’s Action Plan on Better Regulation and has worked closely with the UK Government. The Scottish Executive promotes “better regulation” in Scotland through its Improving Regulation unit and in December published it first annual report which includes an annex covering Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs). This showed that 47 RIAs had been processed in the year to 31 March 2004. Since then, a further 60 have been received, 37 of which are of EU origin.
Regulations are usually amended or simplified. It is therefore not possible to give figures for reductions in bureaucracy. The Executive works to ensure that all regulations are necessary and proportionate. In particular, for regulations which impact on business, charities and the voluntary sector, the use of the Regulatory Impact Assessment and the review Regulatory Impact Assessment help ensure that regulations are proportionate, necessary and fit for purpose when they are introduced and that they remain so over time.