To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate his Department has made of the annual regulatory cost to the economy arising from UK membership of the EU. (290089)

It is very difficult to provide precise figures for the annual regulatory cost to the economy arising from UK membership of the European Union.

The administrative burdens measurement exercise carried out by the Government in 2006 put the proportion of administrative burdens stemming from the EU at approximately one third of the annual total of £13.2 billion.