Forms and Regulations

Forms and Regulations

Business Link is a direct route to help and advice on all aspects of running a business or starting one.

The Business Link website provides a huge range of business information whatever your query. The site includes factsheets, case studies and frequently asked questions, as well as links to other relevant websites to help you find the information you need.

Forms and guidance

Many Defra forms and guidance notes are available on this site. To find the form or guidance note that you want, please consult our Contents page. The guidance given is not intended to provide a full legal interpretation of the relevant law. It is up to each individual business to check how the detailed legislation will apply to them in practice.

The forms are available in Adobe Acrobat format . See our Help page for more information on downloading Adobe Acrobat files.

Regulatory Impact Assessments and Transposition Notes

A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is a policy tool which assesses the impact in terms of costs, benefits and risks of any proposed regulation which could affect businesses, charities or the voluntary sector.

It is Government policy that all government departments and agencies where they exercise statutory powers and make rules with a general effect on others should produce an RIA. A final RIA is published alongside all legislation that imposes costs on, or realises benefits to, business, charities and the voluntary sector.

Transposition Notes (TN)

Since November 2001 it has been a requirement that all legislation laid before the UK Parliament that transposes any European directive must be accompanied by a Transposition Note (TN). The TN should show how each element of the directive has been, or will be, transposed into UK law. This will allow greater transparency but also highlight areas of over or under-implementation.

For further information see:

http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/regulation/europe/publications.htm#Transposition%20Guide

Please see the RIA index for a list of RIAs published alongside legislation since 1 January 2001, and the TN index for a list of transposition notes.

Further information on individual RIAs and the legislation they accompany can be obtained from the contact listed at the end of the RIA.

Regulations and red tape reviews

Information on, and the reports of, the Red Tape Review of Regulatory Burdens is available here.

Information is now available on the Better Regulation Task Force report on environmental regulations and farmers and the Government's response.

Regulatory Reform Action Plan

The Government published a Regulatory Reform Action Plan on 4 February 2002. This can be found at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/regulation/actionplan/index.htm

Defra's contribution to the plan can be found in the following table:

Defra Action Plan (70kb)

For enquiries on individual entries please contact the Better Regulation Unit on 020 7238 5651 for further information.