Minister seeks views on business rules
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Micheál Martin, has invited submission to his recently set up Business Regulation Forum.
The forum was established to examine regulatory issues as they impact on business and competitiveness.
It is now inviting views, comments or submissions from individual consumers, companies, organisations and interest groups concerning which regulations they feel could be improved upon.
Comments and evidence on what areas of regulation impose the largest avoidable and unnecessary burden on business, including the extent of regulation and the burden it imposes on business, are being sought.
“The impact of regulation on business can be significant. Hundreds of regulations impact on all our business lives every day, from health and safety legislation to tax obligations,” said Minister Martin.
“Most of these are necessary to allow society to run smoothly and to sustain the high standards we now expect. However, it may be that some of them have evolved in such a way as to have become difficult to comply with or hard to understand.
“I would therefore encourage everyone, including members of the public, to become actively involved in the submission process,” the minister added.
The Business Regulation Forum aims to propose changes to ensure that existing or future regulations, which have an impact on business in Ireland, meet the six criteria set out in the white paper, Better Regulation.
“The forum is not seeking to reduce regulation per se. It is very clear that regulations, for the most part, exist for good reasons. The benefits of regulation include protecting consumers, preventing the abuse of monopoly power, encouraging optimal resource allocation by improving the functioning of markets, and maintaining standards, such as health and safety.
“The Business Regulation Forum will examine if the same benefits could be achieved in a more efficient and effective manner,” added the minister.
All information regarding the forum and submissions, can be viewed at www.businessregulation.ie.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 26.
A list of the forum members is also included on the website.
