on how to comply with health and safety employment regulations.
It is one of several proposals made by Sarah Anderson in a review of
government guidance, which the Government will now take forward.
The Government promised the helpline would complement existing
information services provided by the HSE and Acas.
The Government also said that departments and regulators would remove
legal disclaimers from new and updated guidance. However, it warned
that businesses should be aware that their own circumstances may not
be covered by guidance. And, while accepting a suggestion that
regulators should not generally prosecute, or impose a punitive
sanction where a business has followed its advice, the Government
cautioned that immunity cannot be granted on offences yet to be
committed.
In response to a call for inspectors to deliver sector-based guidance,
the Government was less committed. While it recognised the benefits of
such an approach, it underlined that it can also be "difficult for a
single inspector to provide in-depth advice on all areas of regulation
in sufficient detail". However, the Local Better Regulation Office is
currently working on a common competency framework for LA inspectors,
so that they have the skills to respond to the demands of the
business.
Commenting on its response, the BERR minister, Stephen Carter, said
"in the current economic climate it is more important than ever that
we help reduce the time and money businesses spend on compliance with
regulation".
But Phil Orford, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business,
remains sceptical about the value of the helpline. He remarked:
"Without an ongoing relationship and understanding of the business,
'insured' advice is no safe haven. Implementation is where the risk
arises, and businesses are still on their own there. We won't achieve
certainty in regulation by duplicating work that is done adequately by
the private sector".
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