146. Memorandum submitted by the Better
Regulation Task Force
The Better Regulation Task Force is an independent
body body that advises Government on action to ensure that regulation
and its enforcement accord with our five Principles of Good Regulation:
We have taken a close interest in the Corporate
Manslaughter Bill, now before your Committee.
When we saw an early version of the proposals,
we were concerned that they were not accompanied by a Regulatory
Impact Assessment. We are pleased that the Home Office has now
produced an RIA and is seeking to minimise regulatory burdens
on business by using existing health and safety standards as a
benchmark. Whilst it is important that companies and other organisations
can be held to account for gross failings by their senior management
which have fatal consequences, we must ensure that new legislation
does not place unnecessary burdens on business or make them more
risk averse.
We also raised on many occasions the issue of
a level playing field between public and private sector organisations.
We believe that any new offence should apply equally to Government
departments and other Crown and public bodies especially, but
not only, where they are carrying out the same sort of activities
as employers or other organisations. We are pleased to note that
the exclusions on specific core public functions apply regardless
of whether they are performed by private or public sector organisations.
We believe this level playing field is important to ensure that
public sector organisations do not gain a competitive advantage
over business. On balance we can now welcome the draft proposals.
16 September 2005
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