To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations have been issued by the European Commission since the United Kingdom joined the European Communities; and how many of these regulations Her Majesty's Government have not accepted.

Since the United Kingdom's accession to the EC a total of 21,806 regulations have been adopted, of which 4,946 are still in force. (Many regulations are short-lived, for example, in the agriculture sector). Regulations are directly applicable in all member states.