"Red Tape Challenged?" (UK government)

A new report released last month by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) shows that the government’s new regulatory architecture "is inconsistent and lacks transparency." Through analysis of Impact Assessments (IAs) by government department, and the feedback on these by the Regulatory Policy Committee, the BCC examined the progress made by the government to improve regulatory policy and reduce the effects of red tape on business.

During 2011, in spite of the "Reducing Regulation" policy, the "Red Tape Challenged?" report (32 pages) finds that the systems and processes put in place to achieve burden reductions for business are still inconsistent and must be strengthened. The report found, inter alia:

• The burden of regulation on business remains too high
• The regulatory process is opaque, and not open to effective scrutiny
• “One-in One-Out” policy not applicable to 42% of regulations

Thank you, Daniel Trnka, for pointing out this good read.