Red Tape Challenge to "scrap or simplify" 60 pieces of legislation
Close to 600 responses were received by the Government the challenge, which gave members of the hospitality industry the chance to express views on which pieces of red tape should be abolished.
Tourism Minister John Penrose, who has led the work on this part of the Red Tape Challenge, said: “Rules and regulations grow like bindweed through industry and business, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the Hospitality, Food and Drink sectors.
“Wading through bumph, filling in pointless and repetitive forms is a spirit-sapping experience which too often chokes off enterprise and endeavour. The Red Tape Challenge has shone a spotlight on all this, and I am delighted with our progress.”
Business and Enterprise Minister Mark Prisk said: “It’s great news that more than 60 regulations in the hospitality, food and drink sector will be scrapped or simplified. This comes on top of the 160 retail regulations that will be reviewed, amended or abolished. It shows that the Red Tape Challenge is gaining momentum.”
This includes proposals to:
- Reduce bureaucracy in licensing by making application forms simpler and, following consultation, give local areas more flexibility over late-night refreshment licensing, the process for obtaining a Temporary Event Notice (TENs) and reducing the administrative burdens on businesses with minimal alcohol sales, such as B&Bs.
- Scrap the regulations covering the location and design of no smoking signs
- A rationalisation of food labelling and composition regulations – reducing the number from 34 to 17 - and a new “food labelling map”, making it much easier for businesses to know the rules they need to follow
- A streamlining of food safety regulations, reducing the number of regulations from 34 to 11. This will include the scrapping of a number of regulations where protection is provided under other legislation such as rules on arsenic, chloroform, and ungraded eggs.
- Remaining legislation will be consolidated so that most food businesses will only need to look at one regulation.
