Environmental regulation in spotlight in latest stage of 'Red Tape Challenge'

The government has put the spotlight on environmental regulation that is “either too complicated, ineffective or just obsolete”, in the latest stage of its so-called ‘Red Tape Challenge’.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural affairs said the focus would be on the 287 environmental regulations that apply to businesses, covering issues such as waste, emissions and wildlife protection.

Businesses and other stakeholders will be asked to comment on whether these existing regulations “are providing the environmental protection that is intended and should therefore be retained, or if they are unnecessarily burdensome or redundant and should be scrapped”.

Defra has also called for suggestions on simplifying the regulations and for non-regulatory alternatives that could better achieve the environmental aims.

The Department said it was already taking steps to simplify or scrap environmental regulations. These include:

• The Grey Squirrels (Prohibition of Importation and Keeping) Order 1937, part of the Destructive Imported Animals Act 1932: this makes it a criminal offence for a land owner not to notify Defra of the presence of grey squirrels. It is being scrapped
• Environmental permits: The number of permits businesses require for the likes of waste, pollution control and groundwater use has been rationalised so that a site needs only to apply for a single permit
• Contaminated land guidance: Defra said it would be simplifying the guidance “to clarify when remediation is needed and how to ensure land is decontaminated to a high standard”.

Environment Minister Jim Paice insisted that the Red Tape Challenge would not lead to a reduction in standards.

He said: “Regulation has an important role to play in protecting the environment and our natural resources, but some of the rules we ask businesses to follow are either too complicated, ineffective or just obsolete. The Red Tape Challenge is a chance to tell us how we can protect the environment in a more effective and simpler way that puts fewer burdens on businesses.

“There are also other ways of providing environmental protection that don’t require regulation, which is why we want to hear ideas for doing things differently without affecting our responsibilities to the natural world.”

Robert Hunt, Executive Director at Veolia Environmental Services, has been appointed as “sector champion” for this part of the Red Tape Challenge.

He said: “Protecting the environment and the natural resources it provides are essential for economic growth. Whilst we all know that industry needs proper regulation; overcomplicated rules, red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy can have the opposite effect.

“The Red Tape Challenge is an opportunity to put this right – to reduce the amount of unnecessary, overcomplicated regulation that hampers business and make it easier for everyone to do what is needed to protect the environment properly."

The environment ‘theme’ of the Red Tape Challenge will last for three weeks.