Forms and Regulation

Forms and Regulation

• Forms and guidance
• Regulatory Assessments and Transposition Notes
• Simplifying regulation
• Annual statement of forthcoming legislation
• Macrory Review of penalty regimes
• Regulation reviews

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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:

www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/regulation/europe/ukhand/transpos.asp

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 published up to July 2004. From August 2004 the RIAs, TNs and Explanatory Memoranda for each policy have been combined into a single document, and are listed in the RIA index.

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

Simplifying regulation

Lifting the burden

Defra has committed to cutting the administrative burdens imposed on business by its regulations by at least 25% by the end of 2009. An initial regulatory simplification plan Lifting the Burden was launched by Lord Bach on 29 November 2005. The plan sets out how Defra is cutting red tape and simplifying regulations. It includes 64 initiatives currently underway and will be updated as new projects are developed.

Defra is keen to receive comments and new ideas from industry. Businesses wishing to put forward simplification suggestions should visit www.betterregulation.gov.uk for guidance on how to submit proposals. Any queries should be sent to simplificationproposal@defra.gsi.gov.uk.

• Lifting the burden (315 KB) - 29 November 2005

Regulatory Reform Action Plan

The Government published a Regulatory Reform Action Plan in February 2002, updated in December 2003. This can be found at:

www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/regulation/regulatory_reform/act/action_plan.asp

Annual statement of forthcoming legislation

In July 2006 Defra published an update to their statement of forthcoming legislation. The statement is a revision of when in 2006 new regulations impacting businesses and the public at large will take effect as well as inclusion of those known for 2007. This statement is part of a cross Whitehall initiative to give businesses more certainty, and allow them to plan for changes to regulatory requirements.

• Statement of forthcoming legislation for Defra in 2006 (287 KB) - updated July 2006

Macrory Review of penalty regimes

The March 2005 Hampton Review recommended that the Better Regulation Executive should undertake a comprehensive review of regulators’ penalty regimes. Professor Richard Macrory, Professor of Law at University College, London, was appointed to lead the review. The initial phase was a call for evidence to inform the scope and content of a full public consultation in spring 2006. Core Defra responded to the call for evidence on 21 February 2006. The response recommends that the Review looks across the breadth and depth of enforcement mechanisms and available interventions while maintaining an open-mind.

• Defra HQ response to Macrory Review call for evidence (72 KB)

Regulation reviews

Defra Regulation Taskforce

The report and recommendations of the Defra Regulation Taskforce were published on 26 April 2004

Other work: red tape reviews

• The Red Tape Review of Regulatory Burdens (papers from 1999-2001)

• The Better Regulation Task Force report on environmental regulations and farmers and the Government's response (papers from 2000-2001)

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