Regulations Seen As Beneficial By The Public

Nearly two-thirds of people in Britain agree they benefit from regulation in their everyday lives and 70 per cent think the benefits of regulation outweigh the burdens, according to a new report from the Department for Business (BIS).

Commenting on 'Better regulation, better benefits: getting the balance right', better regulation minister Ian Lucas said 'regulation makes a vital contribution to Britain's economic growth, protection of the environment and health and well-being of its citizens.'

The reports shows regulation has 'wide ranging and significant impacts' not only on the economy but virtually every aspect of our lives, the government said. The report notes 'health and safety regulation changes business behaviour. Fatalities decreased by threequarters and injuries at work have fallen by 70 per cent since 1974,' when the Health and Safety at Work Act was introduced.

The report notes: 'Regulations add value where they change behaviour. Changing behaviour means ensuring that organisations or individuals comply with these regulations. Academic experts agree that compliance cannot be predicted just by reading rules, but is strongly affected by the motivations of regulated businesses and the approaches to offering support to comply and to enforce them.' Research for the report found '70-85 per cent agreed 'overall the benefits outweigh the burdens' for environmental standards on air/water, food hygiene, health and safety and smokefree law.'

Source: TUC Risks

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