Scottish Government

This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007

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Minister praises Councils' steps to partnership with business

30/10/1997

ISSUED ON BEHALF OF THE CABINET OFFICE

Ten local authorities including the City of Edinburgh, Renfrewshire, Highland and Aberdeenshire were today praised by Minister for Public Service, Peter Kilfoyle, for their willingness to set up Local Business Partnerships.

Speaking to an audience of over 130 trading standards professionals at the Scottish Institute of Trading Standards Annual Conference in Edinburgh, Mr Kilfoyle said:

"It is my job to make sure that regulations are fair and simple and that compliance with them is as easy as possible. Local Business Partnerships help by bringing businesses together with council departments and others who enforce regulations, to share information, find solutions to problems and discuss new ideas for improving regulatory services.

"I hope that many other Scottish local authorities will follow the lead of those who are looking to set up partnerships. By doing so you will streamline your procedures and help ensure enforcement is fair and effective."

Mr Kilfoyle continued:

"Responsible businesses want to comply with regulations but they need help to do so. Local Business Partnerships mean businesses are helped to comply by local authorities and local authorities are helped to ensure compliance by businesses."

There are currently just under 100 local authorities involved in Local Business Partnerships in England and Wales. Their key elements include:

· strong dialogue with local business

· the provision of clear information on regulatory requirements and how to meet them

· clear statement of the local regulators' objectives, enforcement policies and service standards

· a clear complaint procedure.

BACKGROUND

1. The following local authorities have expressed an interest in setting up a Local Business Partnership: Renfrewshire, Highland, City of Edinburgh, Argyll and Bute, Aberdeenshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Dundee, North Ayrshire and East Lothian.

2. Local authorities interested in setting up a Partnership should contact David Raderecht, Better Regulation Unit, Cabinet Office, Room 71A/2, Horse Guards Road, London SW1P 3AL, Tel: 0171 270 5837, Fax: 0171 270 6042.

3. The aims of local business partnerships are: when applying regulations to business, to cut out any unnecessary red tape; to help businesses to understand their responsibilities under regulations and so make it easier to comply; to simplify the enforcement of regulations by local authorities; to help local authorities target enforcement effort on those flouting the law; and to help businesses compete with each other on level terms.

4. The Government's Better Regulation policy is concerned with making sure that regulations have a clear and achievable aim, are easy to understand and simple to implement and comply with.

Issued by:
Press Office, Cabinet Office, Office of Public Service, 70 Whitehall, London SW1A 2AS, Tel: 0171 270 0397/0302/0634. Out of hours telephone: 01399 1133 and ask for pager number 721338. OPS press notices are on the World Wide Web: www.coi.gov.uk/coi/depts/GCO/GCO.html