Member Article

Business Secretary commits to 'cutting red tape' in environmental sectors

Sajid Javid has ‘committed to cutting red tape’ in the energy, waste, agriculture, care home and mineral extraction sectors.

The Business Secretary’s new Cutting Red Tape programme has been launched in an attempt to uncover burdensome red tape in five key industry sectors.

The first wave reviews will help towards saving businesses £10bn over the next five years, says Javid.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: “I am determined to take the brakes off British businesses and set them free from heavy-handed regulators. The Government’s pledge to cut £10 billion in red tape over the course of this parliament will help create more jobs for working people, boost productivity and keep our economy growing.

“For the first time, these reviews will look not only at the rules themselves but the way they are enforced. We want firms to tell us where red tape is holding them back and help us make Britain the best place in Europe to start and grow a business.”

Examples where businesses have said regulation, and the way it is implemented, is getting in the way of doing business in the sectors under review include:

Companies in the agriculture sector spend over £77m a year on average – and lose 1.7 million working hours – complying with often duplicated information checks

Local Authorities, the Care Quality Commission and Clinical Commissioning Groups can ask care homes for similar information and carry out similar inspections – the sector is concerned about the costs of duplication and that it can divert staff time towards producing paperwork and away from caring for residents. For example, a small home with 30 residents may have to deal with 7 different public agencies asking for similar information.

Mining and quarrying companies have to apply for both planning permission and environmental permits, but once planning consent is given, environmental permitting can then require a different approach, requiring a new planning consent and thus delaying investments and incurring further costs.

Waste businesses have said that regulators could respond better to innovation, and thereby help the sector to maximise opportunities to recycle or re-use material that could otherwise end up in landfill.

This programme of work will build on the better regulation measures announced in May as part of the Government’s Enterprise Bill. These include plans to extend and simplify the primary authority scheme, and make sure the activities of regulators contribute to the Government’s better regulation target.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .