The Government has launched a website challenging the public to help cut unnecessary regulations. It will, for the first time, give the public and businesses a chance to have their say on regulations that affect their everyday lives; whether it’s to speak up for well designed rules that are there to protect, or challenge badly designed or badly thought through regulations that are an unnecessary burden.
The campaign is part of the Government’s growth agenda and will tackle more than 21,000 statutory instruments that are currently putting barriers in the way of businesses, volunteers and the public. As well as focusing on sectors (including retail; hospitality, food and drink; road transportation; manufacturing; media and creative services and utility and energy) the campaign will also look at general regulations in six areas that affect all businesses, namely:
- company law;
- employment law;
- pensions;
- equalities;
- health & safety; and
- environment legislation.
New sector themes, together with details of the regulations which relate to them, will appear on the web site every few weeks, giving the public a window of time in which to comment. The relevant government department will then have three months to justify why a regulation is still required, failing which it will be scrapped. Each theme will also have a "sector champion" who will act as an intermediary between the sector and the government to direct discussions. The first sector theme is retail which will remain open for four weeks.
The six areas of general regulation under review will remain open for comment throughout the whole of the campaign (which lasts until April 2013) and relevant government departments will need to comment on them every four months.
The Red Tape Challenge web site can be accessed at: http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/home/index/