Business bondage

The independent body set up to scrutinise new government regulations needs ‘sharper teeth’ to defend small businesses against 'red tape', APA has warned.

This comes following a report published by the FSB (Federation of Small Business) argues that the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) needs more powers to scrutinise performance, advocate regulatory reform and act as an ombudsman. The report also calls on the government to look at models from the USA, Australia and the Netherlands to see what structural changes could be put in place to improve the UK's regulatory system.

APA Director General, Gareth Osborne said: ‘It's good that government has finally recognised that companies should spend more time doing business and less time complying with bad regulation. We need to see more change, applied more quickly and more understanding of SME issues. For this the RPC needs real powers if it is to drive change and challenge Whitehall culture. We will keep lobbying hard to ensure they get this point.’

Despite numerous RPC initiatives, only one in three impact assessments for new regulations show they are fully fit for purpose. Further, the UK ranks 83 out of 142 for the compliance burden it places on businesses.

APA

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