Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken at a EU level to reduce bureaucracy.

The Government continues to attach high priority to the reduction of unnecessary EU bureaucracy. We have called on the European Commission to step up its efforts in this area, and we therefore welcome the fact that the Commission has created the new post of First Vice-President (Frans Timmermans) with specific responsibility for Better Regulation across the entire Commission.

We succeeded in securing agreement on very positive Conclusions at the 4 December EU Competitiveness Council, which call on the EU institutions to enhance efforts to reduce the overall regulatory burden, and call on the Commission to develop and put in place reduction targets in particularly burdensome areas, especially for SMEs.

In addition, as I reported in my Written Ministerial Statement of 6 November (Column 51WS), since October 2013, 10 out of the 30 recommendations of the Business Taskforce report, “Cut EU red tape”, have been achieved, saving businesses over £200 million, as highlighted in the Taskforce’s progress report published last month at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cut-eu-red-tape-business-taskforce-report-one-year-on