Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 181: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs 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. [45702/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I am fully committed to achieving the goals set out in the Action Plan for Better Regulation and believe that improvements in regulation can have a positive impact on the quality of engagement between the public and Government.

Most of the legislation brought forward by my Department does not impact significantly on the regulatory environment. Regulatory Impact Assessments are, however, carried out on appropriate legislation.

The cost of implementing and supporting Better Regulation is difficult to quantify in terms of staff numbers or specific budgets, as these obligations fall into much of the day to day work of a number of sections within my Department. The Departmental Co-ordination Unit, which has a staff of six, is responsible for the overall co-ordination of Better Regulation issues, among many other responsibilities. The Legal Division within my Department also has an important role to play in this area. The actual assessment of Regulatory Impact on a particular piece of legislation is carried out by the policy section bringing forward that legislation. There is no separate budget line maintained by my Department for Better Regulation.