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Additional memorandum submitted by the Better Regulation Executive
What progress has the BRE made on the Benefits of Regulation project? (Mentioned in Consumer Focus evidence)
The aim of the Benefits of Regulation project is to analyse and highlight the wide-ranging benefits that regulation, and especially regulation that follows 'better regulation' good practice, can deliver. The deliverables will include a research report, a report for policy-makers and communications materials to assist departments in improving their policy development processes.
The project began in January 2009. It has been informed by considerable stakeholder engagement. A discussion event was held on 12 May where there were 70 attendees from a range of backgrounds. A number of meetings with experts have been held and the project has been shaped by an active advisory group of 10-12 organisations. The project is nearing completion and all outputs should be delivered by Autumn 2009.
· The Better Regulation Executive communications team adding new examples to their suite of case studies that highlight the benefits of regulation to society · Policy-makers having easy access to details about case-study regulations that are widely considered to be delivering a high net benefit, approaches linked to success and a checklist of points to consider in policy development · Considerable advances in our understanding of how ordinary citizens and business people perceive regulation and its benefits · Insights into the nature of benefits, generally easier to overlook than costs, to inform future work for example on measurement approaches and strategy.
What progress has the BRE made on the Consumer Law review? (Mentioned in Consumer Focus evidence)
In May 2008 the Department for
Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) issued a consultation paper
calling for evidence on a comprehensive review of the
The call for Evidence sought views in four main areas:
· the case for reform; · options for legislative reform; · consumer empowerment and redress; · securing compliance with the law.
The Department received around 100 responses from a wide range of business associations, individual businesses, regulatory and enforcement bodies (including many local trading standards departments), consumer interest groups, legal and academic institutions, professional organisations and other individual consumers.
The responses have informed the proposals set out in the Government White Paper "A Better Deal for Consumers: Delivering Real Help Now and Change for the Future", published on 2 July 2009, particularly as detailed in chapters 3 and 4 on empowering consumers through better enforcement and information and modernising consumer law.
A summary of the consultation responses and the responses themselves have been published alongside the Consumer White Paper and can be accessed at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/consumers/consumer-white-paper/clr-responses/page51670.html
The Consumer White Paper itself can be accessed at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file52072.pdf
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