Industry experts called on to look at regulation

The Government has announced the recruitment of two industry experts in the bid to cut red tape and promote better regulation.

John Hutton, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced that William Sargent has been appointed as Executive Chair of the Government’s Better Regulation Executive (BRE); and Rick Haythornthwaite has been appointed as Chair of the Better Regulation Commission (BRC), the independent watchdog that will monitor the reform programme.

These new recruits put top-level expertise at the forefront of the Government’s drive to cut burdens on business, the public and voluntary sectors.

Mr Hutton said: "We have now embarked on one of the most ambitious and far-reaching regulatory reform programmes in the world. William Sargent will drive through the major change programme for business and public sector stakeholders. His proven track record in the business community shows that he will be influential and provide strong leadership in the Government’s efforts to reduce bureaucracy and regulate better.

"I greatly value William’s understanding of the concerns of small businesses gained through his time as the Chair of the Small Business Council. He will also play a key role in our work to measure Whitehall administrative burdens and help set challenging target to reduce them.

"Rick Haythornthwaite’s appointment will enable the independent BRC to continue the challenging role - started in 1997 with the establishment of the Better Regulation Task Force – of calling departments to account on their efforts to reduce bureaucracy."

William Sargent will lead the BRE in delivering the Government’s radical programme for regulatory reform, including reducing administrative burdens on business and the public sector, and rationalising the number of regulators and inspectorates. He will work with senior Ministers including the Prime Minister and the Chancellor and with senior business people and key stakeholders across the UK. Mr Sargent will drive forward the better regulation agenda in Europe, ensuring that EU regulations are implemented effectively within the UK.

The Commission was announced in the March 2005 Budget. From January 2006 it will take on the work of the Better Regulation Task Force and provide external monitoring of the Government’s ambitious reform proposals, including vetting departmental plans for reducing administrative burdens and to provide independent scrutiny of government regulations.

Mr Sargent is the joint Chief Executive and co-founder of FrameStore CFC, and is a former Chair of the Small Business Council.

Until last month Rick Haythornthwaite was Chief Executive of Invensys plc, the global automation and controls group.

Both appointments are initially for a three year period.

(SP/MB)