Product category:
Printing Trade Organisations - including Allied Industry Bodies
News Release from: Picon
Edited by the Printingtalk Editorial
Team on 22 December 2005
Bureaucracy Costs UK Firms GBP33,000
Unravelling the growing knot of legislative red tape could be costing UK companies an average of over GBP33,000 per year each.
Unravelling the growing knot of legislative red tape could be costing UK companies an average of over GBP33,000 per year each That is according to a survey of engineering businesses carried out by the Engineering and Machinery Alliance (EAMA), of which Picon is a member
This article was originally published on Printingtalk on 24 Mar 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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In a report based on the survey's findings (entitled 'Our Candidates For Regulatory Simplification') which has been prepared for the Government's Cabinet Office, the Department of Trade and Industry and The Chancellor of the Exchequer, EAMA singled out four main areas that generate compliance costs, which particularly affect small businesses.
They are employment law, statistics, health and safety, and the environment.
The report also claimed that companies spend an estimated GBP430 million annually keeping up with the paperwork.
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Picon chief executive John Brazier believes the findings will strike a chord with businesses across the printing industry, whether suppliers or print providers.
He said: "The report highlights issues that impact on every company, particularly the SMEs that are the bedrock of our industry." He added that the EAMA had congratulated Picon on the contribution its members made to the report.
"Picon was the best represented of the seven industry associations that make up the EAMA," commented Brazier.
Employment legislation is particularly consuming of time and money, according to the report, which estimates that management time spent on employment issues can cost a business anywhere from GBP10,000 to GBP100,000 a year, depending on turnover.
Yet EAMA emphasised that employers agree unanimously that employment rights need to be protected.
John Brazier explained: "It's just that there's a feeling that the pendulum has swung too far, and that it may be hindering companies' efforts to adapt to technological and competitive pressures." On the question of statistics, the report highlights widespread frustration with having to provide information that not only has no practical value to the business but also seems to be ignored by government.
Businesses applaud the goal of health and safety legislation to create risk-free workplaces, but are having to contend with not only increased administration but also significantly higher insurance premiums.
The EAMA report makes a number of recommendations to lessen the burden of compliance without diluting regulation.
They include government and business working together to draft regulations that are clear and well-targeted instead of vague and poorly conceived.
"As part of EAMA, Picon is playing an active role in lobbying and meeting with government ministers to ensure the opinions, challenges and issues affecting businesses within the printing industry are taken in to consideration," added Brazier.
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