LAUNCH OF FOCUS ON ENFORCEMENT (23 March 2012)

A new initiative to identify ways to improve the way regulations are enforced has been launched by Business Secretary Vince Cable today. Focus on Enforcement gives business the opportunity to suggest areas for review of compliance and enforcement arrangements, and to provide experiences of regulatory enforcement and compliance in ‘focus’ – i.e. in specific areas under review. Read the full BIS press notice here.

While Red Tape Challenge seeks to tackle unnecessary and inappropriate legislation, Focus on Enforcement will focus on how the enforcement of regulation can be improved, reduced or improved.

Through the Focus on Enforcement campaign, businesses and civil society organisations are being asked to suggest to Government areas where they believe enforcement can be improved, reduced or done differently and to discover and celebrate where it works well, so others can learn from it. Government will pick up the best ideas for change submitted and look swiftly at how we can improve the experience of regulatory enforcement in those business areas.

The Focus on Enforcement team are also asking businesses and civil society organisations to share their experiences of regulatory enforcement on areas in Focus. The aim is to see which areas could be improved and, where there is good practice, share this across sectors. The first three reviews were announced at Budget and will cover key areas in chemicals, small businesses in food manufacturing and volunteer events. These reviews will begin work in April and further details will be made available soon. More details and a chance to comment can be found at: .

The Focus on Enforcement website also publishes, for the first time, details on national regulators, their remits and regulatory budgets and staff resource as well as the regulatory functions undertaken by local authorities.

Focus on Enforcement has taken into account findings from previous reports and consultations, and will continue to do so.

Relevant Links

Visit the Focus on Enforcement website here.

Read the BIS press notice here.

Read our previous news article on Transforming Regulatory Enforcement here.

Enforcement Red Tape Challenge spotlight can be found here.