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 05 February 2008
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)
 
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Enforcement Concordat

DTI along with the Small Business Service (SBS) and the Cabinet Office is involved in the government's work to ensure effective enforcement of all regulations.

The Enforcement Concordat was signed in 1998 by local and national enforcers. To date over 96% of all central and local government organisations with an enforcement function have adopted the Enforcement Concordat.

The Concordat articulates the Principles of Good Enforcement that help businesses to comply with regulations, and help enforcers to achieve higher levels of voluntary compliance. 

The Principles are:

• Standards: setting clear standards
• Openness: clear and open provision of information
• Helpfulness: helping business by advising on and assisting with compliance
• Complaints: having a clear complaints procedure
• Proportionality: ensuring that enforcement action is proportionate to the risks involved
• Consistency: ensuring consistent enforcement practice.

The net result is good enforcement that benefits consumers, employees and businesses.

For more information on the Concordat (and to download copies of it) visit the Cabinet Office site.

The Good Practice Guide uses case studies to give enforcers a range of options for putting the Enforcement Concordat into practice. These are real life examples of how enforcers have made the Concordat's principles work. For example: innovative ideas on how business can get information about regulatory requirements; how to use technology for smart compliance, and;
using partnerships to improve business - enforcer relationships.

To find out more about the Enforcement Concordat and the Good Practice Guide please contact: Richard Thompson at the DTI's Small Business Service. Tel: 020 7215 5739.

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