At the launch of the Arculus Report into better regulation, Ken Clarke outlined plans to cut the cost of red tape to business during the recession.
The Shadow Business Secretary promised that a Conservative Government would scrap redundant regulators and cut the cost of new regulations.
And he welcomed a number of the policies recommended by Sir David Arculus, Tony Blair’s former regulation adviser, to reduce the burden of regulation, including:
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A system of regulatory budgets imposing caps on the number of new regulations which can be introduced by all Whitehall departments
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Subjecting all regulators to ‘sunset clauses’, reviewing their performance every seven years and scrapping or merging underperforming watchdogs.
Ken said he hoped the Arculus report would lead to "an informed and productive debate on better regulation".
He stressed, “At a time when the country is in recession, businesses need better, not more regulation, to help them stimulate economic recovery.”
And he added, “By adopting proposals to ensure that the costs from new regulations are offset by cuts to existing red tape and that redundant quangos can be scrapped or merged, the Conservative Party will help free businesses from the costly bureaucracy which so many have suffered under during Labour's time in office.”