Better Regulation – Making Regulation Work for Everyone

 

The Forestry Commission is playing a full part in the cross-government initiative to ease the burden that government regulation imposes on business in England. We are doing this by taking forward the forestry-related elements of the initiative and examining the regulations we are responsible for.

The aims of the initiative are to:

• Reduce and address the cost of the administrative burden placed on UK businesses, charities and voluntary organisations by regulation;

• Simplify regulations for business and citizens.

The target is to cut administrative burdens by 25% by 2010.

During 2005/6 the administrative burden that the Forestry Commission’s regulations impose on business was assessed in a cross-Whitehall measurement exercise undertaken by PriceWaterhouseCooper (PwC).

The ABME report (56 pages) presents the administrative costs for the regulation in scope for the Forestry Commission. It explains how the measurement was carried out, any variations in the planned implementation approach and how these were handled.

The ABME calculated that the total administrative burden placed on Forestry Commission stakeholders by forestry regulations amounted to £1.5 million each year, excluding business as usual, that is, those things which businesses would do whether regulations were in place or not.

This report sets out the main findings from the ABME Report for each of our main stakeholder groups.

The Cabinet Office's Better Regulation Executive produced this document. It provides a high level summary of the costs.

Simplification Plan

Our first 'Simplification Plan' published in 2006, set out the measures we intended to take to reduce the burden placed on business by forestry regulations. This, our second Simplification Plan 'Making Regulation Work For Everyone'  published in December 2007 reports that these measures are now in place, saving stakeholders some £375,000 each year (26% of the total administrative burden).  We have therefore met the five-year target set for us in the first year.  

The measures set out in our first Plan to assist those stakeholders (timber merchants, haulage contractors etc.) who, although not affected by regulatory control, face administrative costs when dealing with us are also in place.  These reduce the costs to these stakeholders by some £1.3 million each year (30%).

Although we have met the target set for us, our second Plan sets out additional measures that will potentially save our Plant Health stakeholders some £16,000 each year and timber hauliers and contractors some £40,000 each year. There will be additional unquantifiable benefits in both areas.

Simplified regulation benefits everyone. Better more efficient government means better, more efficient business so the benefits can be felt by both Government and the private sector. We are keen to push this as far as we can and to do this we need your help.

We are continuing to look for ways in which we can benefit our stakeholders.  What have we missed? Are there other areas where we could simplify regulations?  We want to hear your views and ensure that your ideas for further initiatives are taken into account. We welcome further suggestions for simplification at any time.  Even if ideas don’t immediately spring to mind, do take this opportunity to consider all the ways in which you are affected by regulation and where the major impacts lie. You can pass your suggestions directly to the Commission though your usual contact, or by email to allan.dungavel@forestry.gsi.gov.uk. We promise to reply to all suggestions explaining how your proposals will be taken forward or, if necessary, why they have been rejected.

For further information on the Commission’s role please contact Allan Dungavel, 0131 314 6468 or e-mail: allan.dungavel@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

If you want to know more about the Better Regulation initiative or would prefer to submit your proposal through the Cabinet Office Better Regulation Executive you can do so on www.betterregulation.gov.uk/ 

A Visit by the Better Regulation Executive

The Better Regulation Executive is a unit within the recently created Government department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and they would like to talk to you about all regulations that are causing concern to your organisation.

BERR are also interested in finding out if there are any simplification measures that are helping your organisation to operate better and what your relationship is like with your regulators/inspectorates/enforcement agencies.

If you would like a visit please contact Lucy Stowe directly at the Better Regulation Executive

Telephone: 020 7 215 0483

Email: Lucy.Stowe@berr.gsi.gov.uk