The Department of Trade and Industry is leading a government-wide drive to simplify radically the ?confusing plethora? of regional business support schemes offered by the state, Sir Brian Bender, the department?s permanent secretary, has said.
The DTI, which had already cut the business support schemes it offered from 170 to just nine, aimed to persuade other central and local government bodies to instigate a similar ?deproliferation? cull of their schemes, Sir Brian said.
Business has welcomed the DTI?s initiative but still faces a ?confusing plethora? of schemes offered from other state bodies.
Sir Brian declined to put a deadline on when he hoped the Small Business Service, the DTI agency leading the initiative, would be able to complete the work. Asked if it could take years to persuade the government machine to simplify its regional business products, he said: ?I hope not.?
?I see it as a priority across government to sort this out,? Sir Brian said. ?Trying to do it across departments will be difficult but I don?t think we should shirk it. This is a real issue business is telling us about.?
The complexity of the existing schemes represented a form of regulatory burden on business ? particularly small companies ? because of the unnecessary cost imposed on accessing government support, Sir Brian said.
The drive to simplify the schemes was a good example of the type of work that should be initiated under the government?s better regulation agenda.
It was also, he added, ?an example of where we hope the DTI and the Treasury are on the same page?.
