New Plans For Streamlined Regulation

Following a six month review of the Local Better Regulation Office (LBRO), Business Minister Mark Prisk has today outlined plans for streamlining and improving how regulators deal with businesses.

The proposals mean that LBRO will be replaced by a new organisation that builds on the expertise of LBRO’s staff and continues the expansion of the Primary Authority scheme, but is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The new organisation will work closely with local enterprise partnerships across the country to find the best way to tackle red-tape at a local level and share this knowledge. It will also promote the Primary Authority scheme as a way to improve consistency in regulatory enforcement, reduce bureaucracy and create the right conditions for economic growth.

This streamlined approach will also give a renewed focus on improving the way that regulations impact at the front line. The new organisation will work closely with the Better Regulation Executive, the Regulatory Policy Committee and national regulators to ensure there is a more joined-up approach on regulation and enforcement from across Government.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said: “The endless rules and regulations that pour out from Government has choked off enterprise and stifled economic growth for far too long.

“Businesses, local enterprise partnerships and regulators have to work together to tackle local bureaucracy and find a solution that works for everyone. This new organisation will be the driving force to make sure that happens.

“That way we are freeing businesses to concentrate on what matters; strong local economic growth that is not restrained by red tape.”

In order to retain the crucial independence and technical expertise of LBRO, the new organisation will have special governance arrangements and a number of interested groups will be invited to form a steering group for the new organisation. This will make sure that it is accountable and relevant to the businesses and the regulators that it serves, while also improving the accountability of the new organisation.

The results of the review have also been welcomed by the Welsh Assembly Government which has been pleased to support the work of LBRO in Wales to date. These proposals will mean continuity for further work to secure efficiency and innovation within the public sector in Wales, benefiting both citizens and businesses.

(BMcN/GK)