§ Mr. QuinnTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what decision he has taken on the future of the enforcement provisions of section 5 of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. [33230]
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§ Mr. KilfoyleI refer to my answers to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Mrs. Golding) of 23 July 1997,Official Report, column 583. The Access Business Group, a partnership between central and local government and business, has drawn up an enforcement concordat. It sets out the principles that:
- Performance will be measured against agreed standards
- There will be openness in dealing with business and others
- Enforcers will be Helpful, courteous and efficient
- Complaints procedures will be publicised
- Enforcement decisions will be taken in a proportionate manner and
- Enforcement officers will strive for high standards of consistency.
The Concordat also establishes the procedures that participating enforcers will follow. These include distinguishing best practice advice from legal requirements and giving businesses a chance to discuss and remedy problems before action is taken, unless immediate action is required.
694WWhere section 5 procedures already apply through legislation, Departments will identify opportunities to amend the legislation in the light of this new voluntary approach to good enforcement.
The Access Business group will keep both the adoption of the concordat and the effectiveness of it under review. I commend these principles and procedures to all enforcement officers and to the House. Copies of the enforcement concordat are available in the Libraries of the House.