Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 148: To ask the Minister for Transport the number of staff in terms of whole time equivalents he has allocated within his Department to support the Better Regulation Group's work; the financial resources that have been spent in support of such work to date in 2008; the expected expenditure for the remainder of 2008; the budget for 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45706/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Work in my Department on better regulation is an integral part of the functions of a number of staff in my Department and, hence, there are no full-time dedicated staff or budgets allocated to that function. All Divisions in the Department are aware of their obligations to conduct regulatory impact assessments when preparing legislative proposals. Each division takes its own decision on whether a full regulatory impact analysis is required. Each division is also responsible for preparing draft regulatory proposals and transposing EU directives which are settled by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and for reducing administrative burdens where possible. Information notes on EU Commission proposals are prepared by line divisions for the Joint Committee on European Affairs. The legal services unit co-ordinates the monitoring of transpositions and attends the Inter-Departmental Co-ordinating Committee on EU Affairs to report on the Department's progress in relation to the transposition of EU directives. The Department also has a full-time legal advisor and a legal network to advise and assist staff on legal issues.