Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 322: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of regulatory impact assessments produced by his Department since the adoption of the policy by Government; the number of appropriate decisions made by his Department which did not include such assessments; the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23910/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Since the introduction in June 2005 of Regulatory Impact Analysis, my Department has carried out Regulatory Impact Analysis screenings, on the British-Irish Agreement (Amendment) Act 2006, which related to the mandate and functions of the Special EU Programmes Body, and on the recently published Passports Bill 2007. The Department has sponsored two pieces of EU-related legislation since June 2005: the European Communities Act 2006, which provided for our ratification of the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU, and the European Communities Act 2007, which improved and modernised the way EU legislation is transposed into Irish law. As a consequence of their nature, it was deemed that formal Regulatory Impact Analysis was not required in either case. Government approval of the Bill in 2004, which led to the Diplomatic Relations and Immunities Act 2006, preceded the introduction of regulatory impact analysis. As their scope and impact were of minor significance, a Regulatory Impact Analysis was not required for any of the four Government Orders subsequently made under this legislation.