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Risk, Responsibility, Regulation

The Government has published its response to the Better Regulation Commission's report 'Risk, Responsibility, Regulation: Whose Risk Is It Anyway?'

The Commission's report calls for Government to lead a national debate which explores three questions:

  1. What becomes possible if we trust people more and regulate them less?
  2. What happens if classic state regulation is limited to a last resort rather than a first instinct?
  3. How far are people ready to take more responsibility for managing their own risks?

The Government agrees with the Better Regulation Commission that the question of risk management is an issue for the whole of society, not just government - in a civilised society risk needs to be balanced with protection. In responding to the report, the Government will seek to articulate the acceptable levels of risk in society below which it will not intervene to improve outcomes.

The Better Regulation Commission made 9 recommendations, addressed to the whole of Government and regulators. The Cabinet Office Better Regulation Executive has co-ordinated the Government's response.

The Government has fully or partly accepted almost all of the Report's recommendations. Work has already begun on implementing a number of these. For example, the publication of Departmental Simplification Plans in December 2006, explaining how government would remove over 500 regulations adding up to just over £2 billion, included an announcement that, as part of an upgrade of the better regulation web portal in Spring 2007, the Government will launch a campaign to identify regulations which conflict or overlap, either in the way they have been framed or in how they are implemented and enforced (in response to recommendation 7).

In addition to this response, the Government is forging ahead with our efforts to tackle the burden of unnecessary regulation. Performance against the delivery of the commitments made in the Departmental Simplification Plans will be presented in updated plans later this year. Alongside the plans, departments have signed up to a target to reduce the administrative burden facing UK business by 25% by 2010. And the Government has passed the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act making it easier for outdated and unnecessary regulations to be removed.