The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) today published its second annual simplification plan. It outlines how DIUS and its delivery agencies are complying with the Government's target for all Departments to reduce administrative burdens on business by 25% by 2010
10 December 2008
The plan shows how simplified regulations and minimisation of requirements for paperwork are reducing the cost of compliance for business, learners and the front line public sector. It highlights areas of progress in the reduction of bureaucracy, setting out further simplifications to be made.
Lord Young, DIUS Better Regulation Minister, said
"DIUS is committed to the Government's better regulation agenda. Simplifying regulations and bureaucracy is a key part of freeing up businesses and public bodies to innovate and deliver goods and services, and help them succeed in an increasingly challenging economic environment.
"Our Simplification Plan sets out how we will continue to build on the progress we have made since the Department was created in July last year driving forward the better regulation agenda in our policy making and delivery.
"We are delivering unprecedented investment across the further and higher education, science and innovation sectors. It is right there is accountability for resources but not through micromanagement or intrusive regulation. We must give the front line operational freedom to deliver."
This second annual DIUS Simplification Plan sets out a number of successes achieved so far, including:
- major savings due to the simplification of out-dated and complex weights and measures regulations;
- European agreements that significantly reduced costs to businesses applying for patent protection across Europe;
- the Higher Education Concordat, where all the major regulators have committed to minimising the bureaucratic demands they make on universities; and
- Unique Learner Numbers, so that all learners can easily monitor their progress and take learning records with them through life.
Plans for continuing to remove unnecessary paperwork, include:
- the work of the National Weights and Measures Laboratory to remove a number of prescriptive requirements from their regulations;
- the Train to Gain skills brokerage service integration within Business Link, so that businesses get a wide variety of support all in one place; and
- the Secretary of State's new "challenge panel", to drive a faster response to employer concerns on bureaucracy in training;
- ensuring that reducing bureaucracy is a key element in the expansion of apprenticeships through the new National Apprenticeships Service.
Notes to editors
1. The DIUS baseline private sector administrative burdens total was approximately £542 million per year.
Against its 25% target, by December 2008 DIUS has:
- already delivered administrative burdens savings estimated at £130 million per year, equivalent to 24%;
- identified burden reduction measures that will enable it to exceed its target, delivering estimated savings of nearly £170 million by May 2010, equivalent to a 31% reduction.
In addition the department is reducing other costs for business, with savings in the plan to date of almost £12 million.
2. The Department has a 20% reduction target for public sector data requirements by May 2010. Since the 2007 Plan the number of data streams required by DIUS (and its non-departmental public bodies) has reduced from 33 to 30, and others have reduced the frequency or the numbers of bodies required to submit data.
This press notice relates to 'England'
Public enquiries 0870 0010336 info@dius.gsi.gov.uk
