“Our survey
highlights areas that are still of concern for business, many of
which have remained the same over the last four years. Businesses
still find regulation burdensome and they are particularly
concernedabout the introduction of new regulations
or continuing changes to existing regulations. It therefore remains
a priority for departments to manage the creation and removal of
regulation properly in order to minimize the impact on
business.”
Chris Shapcott, National Audit
Office director of regulatory reform, 15 July
2010
Over half of all businesses believe there is
too much regulation, according to a survey of businesses
commissioned by the National Audit Office and the Local Better
Regulation Office. Although most businesses believe that the
purpose of regulation is clear, over 60 per cent of businesses
think that the level of regulation is an obstacle to their
success.
This is the NAO’s fourth annual survey of
businesses’ perceptions of regulation. The survey found that 29 per
cent of businesses believe that complying with regulation has
become more burdensome over the previous 12 months. At the
same time, only 1 per cent of businesses feel that regulation has
become less difficult or less time consuming than previously.
A number of positive findings have emerged
from the survey:
- three in five businesses feel well-informed
about the laws and regulations that affect them, with businesses
feeling most informed about Health and Safety law;
- 58 per cent of businesses find it easy to
comply with regulation specific to their business sector.
Despite this, a number of issues still
remain:
- fewer than 30 per cent of businesses believe
that the government understands business well enough to regulate,
or consults well before any change to regulation;
- having to keep up to date with the
introduction of new regulations is seen as the most burdensome and
time consuming activity, particularly regarding employment
law.