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Better Regulation

Two piles of regulations wrapped in red tape, one large, one much smaller

Red Tape Challenge Environment Theme Announcement

The results of the Environment Theme of the Government’s Red Tape Challenge have been announced today. Find out more below.

Better Regulation is the government’s collective approach to ensure that, when we regulate, we do so because it is the last resort and the best way of achieving the outcome we want whilst avoiding unintended consequences and keeping costs on the economy as low as possible.

Red Tape Challenge

Environment Theme

The Environment Theme of the Red Tape Challenge has been open for comment on the Cabinet Office website since April 2011, with a ‘spotlight’ period in September 2011. Following a vigorous challenge process incorporating the 3,500 crowd-sourced comments and inbox submissions, views from our Sounding Board of environmental organisations and business representatives, as well as views from a separate panel of businesses, we are pleased to announce the results.

Of 255 regulations, 132 will be improved, mainly through simplification or consolidation; 70 will be kept as they are, to uphold important environmental protections; and 53 obsolete regulations will be removed. There will also be a new drive to introduce smarter implementation on the ground.

Water and Marine Theme

The Water and Marine theme of the Government’s Red Tape Challenge is now closed, thank you for your contributions.

We will now consider all contributions received and produce our proposals on regulatory reform. These proposals will be reviewed by a Ministerial ‘Star Chamber’ and final proposals for change will be reviewed by the Government’s Reducing Regulation Committee. Decisions will be announced on the Red Tape Challenge website.

The Government is committed to being the greenest government ever. Protecting and enhancing the natural and water environment is crucial to our quality of life. Environmental protection is a core Government priority – there is no intention to reduce it but to support our economy we have to make sure that policies are being implemented in the most effective way possible.

Approach to regulatory reform

Defra and its delivery partners are committed to making a strong contribution to the government’s regulatory reform agenda. Our focus is on achieving public policy outcoms in ways that encourage sustainable growth and minimise the burden on those affected by regulation. This document describes how we are meeting these challenges.

Statement of New Regulation

The Statement of New Regulation covers all new regulatory measures that fall within the scope of One-in, One-out. The list contains a short description of each measure, the expected date of implementation and a link to the latest available impact assessment (where published). Measures have been broken down into three main categories, INs, OUTs and zero net costs.

The costs and benefits of Defra’s regulatory stock

Defra has published the emerging findings from its regulatory stock assessment. The assessment brings together evidence on the costs and benefits of all the regulations for which the Department is responsible across seventeen programme areas. It provides a better strategic overview of the Department’s regulations and enables a more evidence-based and objective approach to deliver the Government’s better regulation agenda.

Defra’s Regulatory Reviews

  • An industry-led Task Force on Farm Regulation has considered ways to reduce the regulatory burden on the farming industry.
  • A Review of Waste Policy in England has considered the most effective ways of reducing waste, maximising the money to be made from waste and recycling, and how waste policies affect local communities and individual households.
  • An industry-led Forestry Regulation Taskforce is carrying out a review of the relevant regulations and their implementation for both the management of existing forests and the establishment of new ones as well as gaining an understanding of the impact of regulation on businesses both up and down the wood supply chain.

Wider government context

‘The Coalition: Our Programme for Government’ made five specific commitments on regulatory reform:

  • To cut red tape by introducing a ‘one-in, one-out rule’ whereby no new regulation is brought in without other regulation being cut by a greater amount;
  • To end the culture of ‘tick-box’ regulation and instead target inspections on high-risk organisations through co-regulation and improving professional standards;
  • To impose sunset clauses on regulations and regulators to ensure that the need for each regulation is regularly reviewed;
  • To give the public the opportunity to challenge the worst regulations; and
  • To end the so-called ‘gold-plating’ of EU rules, so that British businesses are not disadvantaged relative to their European competitors.

Background

  • The overall costs stemming from UK regulation are currently in the order of £100bn-£150bn each year, excluding tax – so tight management of regulatory burdens is vital to economic growth.
  • Government departments work closely with the Better Regulation Executive primarily through their Better Regulation Units. Each Department also has a Board Level Champion (BLC) and a Better Regulation Minister to champion better regulation at all levels.
  • Defra’s Board Level Champion is Katrina Williams, Director General for Food and Farming, and our Better Regulation Minister is Jim Paice MP.
  • Better Regulation covers both the legislation produced by Government Departments and the EU, and the work of regulators who enforce the law.
  • Defra sponsors or works with a wide range of  regulators, including the Environment Agency, Natural England, Animal Health, Ofwat, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, the Forestry Commission, the Health and Safety Executive and the Food Standards Agency.  Local authorities are also a significant regulator of Defra’s legislation.

Further information

Page last modified: 25 April 2012