Government vows to cut red tape for retailers and manufacturers

CONSUMERS, retailers and manufacturers are to be freed from outdated red tape following new changes by the Government.

The announcement follows a Government pledge that British businesses will be freed from around £4m of regulatory burdens before June.

Many of the regulations covered in a new consultation were introduced to tackle a specific problem with a particular product, such as fireguards for domestic heating appliances or customers being misled through disingenuous pricing.

The Government said while these regulations were very effective at stamping out the problem they were designed to tackle, they are not flexible enough to deal with new products or practices in today’s world.

Consumer Minister Norman Lamb said: “Removing regulation which is out of date, unnecessary and overcomplicated, whilst protecting customer safety, is a win for consumers and businesses. We already have more effective and more practical regulation in place.

“The Government is determined to cut the regulatory burden on companies to help them to innovate and focus on running their business. This move, which is part of a much wider programme to reduce unnecessary regulation, will make life simpler for many thousands of firms across the UK.”

Retail was the first sector in the spotlight on the Red Tape Challenge website between April and May 2011. While the Manufacturing sector was examined a few months later, between July and September.

The Red Tape Challenge effectively opened up the decision making process across Government, giving different groups and organisations a say in which regulations are necessary and which ones can be simplified or scrapped.

The consultation is seeking views from businesses, the public and voluntary and community organisations on how these changes will impact them. It will run until May 23.