More red tape challenge!
Health & Safety update - 04/07/2011
Employers, employees, the public and enforcement officers are
now being urged to "blow the whistle on inconsistent and
over-zealous enforcement of rules and regulations" by having their
say on the Red
Tape Challenge website.
The new drive is the result of comments already made by the
public as part of the Red Tape Challenge. The Government wants
people to use their experience of different regulators and say
where tick-box regulation, multiple inspections and conflicting
advice is getting in the way, harming their business and preventing
economic growth.
Enforcement officers from all sectors are also being asked to
get involved in the discussions.
The website asks –
- Which aspects of enforcement do you find most difficult to deal
with and how could things be done differently?
- What impact do these problems have on your business?
- Do regulators recognise where you have made efforts to comply?
What more do you think could be done to ensure regulators take your
efforts into account?
- Is it easy for you to appeal or complain about the way
regulations are enforced?
- Do you have any examples of good "common sense" enforcement
where you feel that a regulator has really done its best to
understand and work around the realities you face as a
business?
- Is enforcement flexible enough to keep pace with the way your
business is developing?
Business Minister Mark Prisk said, "The Government has already
taken positive steps to reduce the burden that regulation places on
our businesses. But when nearly two-thirds of businesses believe
that a 'tick box' culture exists, we need to act. Inspections and
enforcement are the most noticeable ways in which business
experiences regulation. The Red Tape Challenge has already
highlighted a number of ways in which compliance problems are
getting in the way of businesses, but we weren't getting enough
information on the problems. That's why we've made this natural
extension to the Red Tape Challenge as a direct response to the
public's comments. So tell us about the good, the bad and the ugly
side of enforcement and help us get the Government off your
back."
He added, "I'd encourage everyone involved in enforcement to get
involved in the Red Tape Challenge. You deal with these regulations
and businesses who need to comply with them every day, so you're
uniquely placed to give honest and frank appraisal of where
improvements can be made, without compromising the protection that
the regulations were designed to provide."
The Government also announced plans to cut down on bad
examples of enforcement with the publication of a set of principles
which all regulators should follow.
Go to http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
to air your views and experiences