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Thousands Rise To Red Tape Challenge

Thousands of businesses are taking up the government’s challenge to comment on more than 21,000 rules and regulations that affect their lives.

The Red Tape Challenge website was launched on 7 April as part of the government’s drive to do away with badly designed or badly thought out regulations that create an unnecessary burden on the commercial sector.

During the website’s first week, more than 6,000 comments were made. Until 5 May, the website was inviting comments on regulation in the retail sector and the comments raised issues including simplifying the complex range of age restrictions on buying products and the use of metric and imperial measures. Further sectors to be covered over coming months are:

from 6 May: hospitality, food and drink
from 20 May: road transportation
from 2 June: fisheries, marine enterprises and internal waterways
from 16 June: manufacturing
from 23 June: healthy living and social care
from 7 July: media and creative services
from 21 July: utilities and energy
from 4 August: rail and merchant shipping
from 18 August: mining and quarrying.

A further six themes will also be open throughout the consultation. They are:

employment law
pensions
company law
equalities
health and safety.
environment legislation.

Business secretary Vince Cable said: “Some of these regulations are there for good reasons, protecting employees, businesses or the public. But some, like the Indication of Prices (Beds) Order serve no purpose at all.

“That’s why this campaign is different to the deregulation drives that have gone before. The onus is now on my fellow Ministers and me to justify a regulation.”

“This is an excellent opportunity for businesses to help shape the regulatory framework within which they have to work so that their lives are made easier.”

LINK: Red Tape Challenge

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