Positive steps on deregulation but more to do to reduce burden on business

17th December 2012

Ahead of the publication of the fifth Statement of New Regulation (SNR) on Monday, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, (BCC) said:  -This government has demonstrated a clear and welcome commitment to reducing the regulatory burden on business.

There has been a reduction in the flow of new red tape affecting companies and the new regime of 'One-in, Two-out' is a big step forward in reducing unnecessary bureaucracy faced by companies. -There is only so much the UK government can do given the volume of regulations stemming from Brussels. The SNR figures only apply to regulations that are in scope of the One-in, Two-out system. This means that a significant amount of regulations affecting firms, including EU regulations, are exempt from this process. The system should be reviewed to ensure that relevant regulations are in scope, as this will help to reduce burdensome red tape that acts as a barrier to growth for many firms. -Companies want to see meaningful deregulation that allows them to grow, innovate and create employment. The volume of bureaucracy hampering firms is still too high and companies are telling us that the weight of European legislation is making them less competitive in global markets. We welcome the efforts being made by the Government to work with EU institutions to reduce the EU regulatory burden, but Europe needs to stop living in a bubble and realise that more regulation is not the answer to driving a lasting recovery."