How to respond
2.1 The consultation period will begin on 22 March 2006 and will run for 12 weeks until 14 June 2006. Please ensure that your response reaches us by that date. We cannot guarantee to consider your response if it arrives after that date.
2.2 Please send responses to this consultation document to the address below. Inquiries or comments about the consultation process should be sent to the same address:
Eve Engledow
HM Treasury
1 Horse Guards Road
London
SW1A 2HQ
2.3 Please explain in your reply if you represent an organisation, and if so, its membership and coverage. In accordance with the code of practice on open government, comments will be made publicly available unless respondents specifically request otherwise.
If you wish part, but not all, of your response to remain confidential please supply two versions – one for publication on the website with the confidential information deleted and another confidential version for the Treasury team managing this consultation exercise.
Any e-mail response sent from a corporate system may carry an automatically generated message stating that the content of the message should be treated as confidential. If you are replying by e-mail, please make it clear in the body of your response whether or not you wish your comments to be treated as confidential.
Partial regulatory impact assessment
2.4 As highlighted above, the Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment (Partial RIA) is published with this document and should be read in conjunction with it. The Partial RIA lays out implementation options for the two areas highlighted above and considers qualitative, and where possible, quantitative costs and benefits for each option.
2.5 A copy of the Partial RIA can be found on HM Treasury’s website: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/ or requested through HM Treasury’s correspondence and enquiry unit.
The consultation criteria
2.6 The consultation is being conducted in line with the Code of Practice on Consultation. The six criteria are listed below.
1. Consult widely throughout the process, allowing a minimum of 12 weeks for written consultation at least once during the development of the policy.
2. Be clear about who may be affected, what questions are being asked, and the timescale for responses.
3. Ensure that your consultation is clear, concise and widely accessible.
4. Give feedback regarding the responses received and how the consultation process influenced the policy.
5. Monitor your department’s effectiveness at consultation, including through the use of a designated consultation co-ordinator.
6. Ensure your consultation follows better regulation best practice, including carrying out a Regulatory Impact Assessment if appropriate.
Chapter 1 Extending Employers Freedom – Introduction
Chapter 2 Responding to the Consultation
Chapter 3 FSMA Two-Year Review Exemption
Chapter 4 Pensions Promotions to Employees
Chapter 5 Promoting Insurance Products
Chapter 6 Employee Share Schemes and Plans
Chapter 7 Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment
Chapter 7A Options – Legislate or Not
Annex A Current Pensions Exemption
Annex B Current Insurance Exemptions
Annex C Proposed New Legislation
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