GOVERNMENT SHOULD GET OFF THE BACK OF SMALL BUSINESS - COTTER

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 4th Jul 2003

Speaking in a debate in the Commons this week entitled 'A Fair Deal for Small Business', Brian Cotter MP, the Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Small Business, called on the Government to get off the back of small business and to create a business-friendly environment in which small businesses can get on with job of doing business.

Brian Cotter highlighted the burden on business of red tape and in particular employment legislation, and called upon the Government to enter into dialogue with the small business community. He stated,

"We need to ensure better consultation when addressing such issues, because businesses are entitled to propose constructive and clear points of concern. The impression given sometimes is that the Government just say, "These rules have been agreed and are being implemented despite what they will do to hit business.""

With regard to the implementation of impact assessments, Brian Cotter called on the Government to ensure that,

"…impact assessments are meaningful, accurate and clear, both in early stages of regulation and when Bills are considered in Committee and on the Floor of the House."

He also called upon the Government to introduce a single inspectorate to assess compliance, and to extend the use of sunset clauses so as to reduce the level of unnecessary regulation.

On the subject of a single inspectorate he stated,

"The ministerial response to my suggestion was to ask how a single inspector could possibly understand all the regulations and give advice on them. However, businesses themselves are supposed to understand all the regulations.

I hope that the Secretary of State will take on board the need to re-examine the inspection procedure and consider whether the Small Business Service could institute a service so that firms would be given a better understanding of what they must achieve"