To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what advice or guidance his Department provides to other departments on (a) the stage in the legislative process at which impact assessments should be carried out and (b) the purpose of impact assessments. (187837)

I have been asked to reply.

In May 2007 Government introduced the revised impact assessment process to improve clarity and transparency of new regulations, including new requirements to summarise both the rationale for government intervention and evidence supporting the final proposal.

The revised guidance supporting this process is clear that impact assessments should be developed from the earliest stages of policy making in order to assess the costs, benefits and impact of regulatory proposals. This guidance is available at:

http://www.berr.gov.uk/bre