Deregulation Initiative (Hansard, 18 February 1992)

§ Mr. Redwood

The deregulation initiative ensures close scrutiny of new and existing regulation and of compliance costs for business. Minimising the cost of regulation for business remains central to the Government's programme to create the conditions to promote prosperity.

In the past 12 months, Government Departments have targeted attention on certain outdated or burdensome requirements which business has identified as causing difficulty. This has yielded a number of improvements in the regulatory environment. Further requirements have been targeted for attention in the 12 months ahead.

The central deregulation unit in my Department continues to support the initiative as a whole by taking the lead on certain general issues, and by continuing to work with business to identify regulatory burdens and to co-operate with Departments to achieve good deregulatory outcomes on particular issues.

The programme of work includes action in the following areas:

Continuing development and evaluation of disciplines and techniques for assessing compliance costs to business and securing good regulatory practice across Whitehall (Deregulation Unit, Department of Trade and Industry and other Government Departments)

New

— to prepare guidance and training on good regulatory practice for use in Departments of State (Deregulation Unit)
—to begin a three year review programme of all existing Central Statistical Office enquiries (Central Statistical Office)

Promotion of good regulatory practice in the European Community (Deregulation Unit, Department of Trade and Industry)

Ongoing

— to improve evaluation of EC legislation in compliance with the Maastricht declaration, including pressing for better compliance cost assessment and earlier and more comprehensive consultation of business (Deregulation Unit, Department of Trade and Industry and other Government Departments)
— to mobilise business and official opinion in other Member States (Deregulation Unit, Department of Trade and Industry)

Local authority regulation of business

Ongoing

— to evaluate local authority enforcement of regulation
— to improve consistency of practice by local authority enforcement officers (Deregulation Unit, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Environment and other Departments)

The administration of rules affecting the workplace, employment conditions, PAYE, national insurance

Completed to implement the deregulation review of PAYE communications with employers (Inland Revenue) 123W to consider the need for new information on flexible working arrangements, make recommendations and present a draft leaflet to Ministers (Department of Employment and Other Government Departments) to prepare a booklet for employers on the benefits of a flexible approach to working arrangements, including information about setting up workplace creches (Department of Employment) to reduce the burden on employers of Community Charge Attachment of Earnings Orders (Department of Environment)

Substantial progress to explore scope for eliminating some of the differences in definitions of earnings and expenses for PAYE and NIC purposes firstly by reviewing administrative solutions (Department of Social Security and Inland Revenue) to review procedures for allowing NI contributors who have proven need for NI exception in one or more (self) employments to renew their exception certificate every two or three years instead of annually (Department of Social Security) to continue implementation programme of recommendations arising from the deregulation review of P11 D procedures (Inland Revenue)

New to simplify the payment system for the self-employed (NI Class 2) (Department of Social Security) to ensure that measures to implement the EC Framework Directive on health and safety in the workplace minimise the burden on business as far as possible (Health and Safety Executive and Deregulation Unit)

The regime for small businesses

Substantial progress to reduce reporting requirements for small company accounts (Department of Trade and Industry and Inland Revenue)

Ongoing to complete study of new forms of incorporation (Department of Trade and Industry)

New to review audit and accounting requirements for very small companies (Department of Trade and Industry, Inland Revenue, HM Treasury and Department of Employment)

Investment & Financial Services

Substantial progress to simplify requirements for company prospectuses (Department of Trade and Industry) to continue to simplify the operation of the Financial Services Act and, in particular, to seek ways of minimising the burden of regulation on professionals (Department of Trade and Industry)

Indirect taxation

Completed to examine the problems caused for business by the requirements of the VAT retail schemes and improve and simplify their operation (HM Customs and Excise)

New to review registration/licensing requirements for those businesses controlled by HM Customs and Excise as excise and inland customs traders (HM Customs and Excise) to review HM Customs and Excise's public guidance for those businesses they control as excise and inland customs traders (HM Customs and Excise)

Planning

Ongoing to simplify the procedures for designating Simplified Planning Zones (Department of Environment)

Data Protection

Ongoing 124W to follow up inter-departmental working party report on the Data Protection Act to reduce in particular burdens of registration (Home Office)

Trade Marks

Ongoing to overhaul existing legislation and implement an EC directive on trade marks (Department of Trade and Industry)

Specific controls affecting certain types of business

Completed to exempt vehicles from national type approval requirements to permit use on public roads for testing and publicity purposes prior to the completion of the whole vehicle inspection (Department of Transport) to delegate to classification societies the approval of stability information for mobile offshore drilling units and ships which are mobile offshore support units (Department of Transport) to review the effectiveness of the system of on-shore petroleum licensing (Department of Energy)

Substantial progress to rationalise the system of consents and licences from different authorities to work in tidal waters and designated areas of the Continental Shelf (Department of Transport)

Ongoing to identify at least 20 business licences which should be abolished (Deregulation Unit and Government Departments) to review evening opening of betting offices (Home Office) to ensure food safety controls on food producers and retailers are proportionate to the problem (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and Department of Health)

New to review licensing controls on taxis and passenger hire vehicles (Department of Transport) to simplify the system of HGV and PSV vehicle operator licensing (Department of Transport) to review fertiliser standards (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) to review legislation for control of sheep scab (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) to review feedingstuffs standards (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) to increase the permitted size of large multidisciplinary partnerships in certain professions (Department of Trade and Industry) to reduce disclosure provisions for directors of investment trust savings schemes (Department of Trade and Industry) to exempt certain low power radio devices from licensing (Department of Trade and Industry) to clarify application procedures for DTI innovation assistance schemes (Department of Trade and Industry)

International trade and exports

Substantial progress to review procedures for issuing E101 certificates for people working abroad (Department of Social Security)

Ongoing to improve immigration procedures at London airports to reduce delays to business people and other bona fide travellers (Home Office) to continue to streamline export licensing procedures (Department of Trade and Industry)

New to streamline the implementation of controls on intra-Community trade in industrial dual-use and nuclear goods (Department of Trade and Industry)