News Release issued by
the COI News Distribution Service on 22 September 2009
The Gangmasters
Licensing Authority (GLA) has made good progress putting better
regulation principles into practice according to a new report from
the Better Regulation Executive published today.
The report, part of a series of reviews of national regulators,
examined how the GLA matched up to the principles of effective
regulation set out by Philip Hampton in 2005. The GLA regulates
businesses that provide workers to farming, the food industry and
related sectors which employ up to 450,000 workers or around ten
per cent of the UK employment agency sector. The report found that
the GLA:
has had an impressive impact in improving the working conditions
for some vulnerable workers;is a learning organisation that is
open and responsive to external challenge; andhas been effective
in building consensus on the best regulatory solutions amongst a
diverse set of stakeholders.
Despite making real progress in implementing better regulation
principles into its work, the report also identified some issues
the GLA needed to address to improve its performance further,
including working with a wider range of partners to improve its
intelligence gathering. The GLA had built strong relationships
with HMRC and the Police but could explore other potential sources
of information from the agricultural sector. The GLA could also
benefit by clarifying its decision making process in licensing
cases, to help stakeholders understand how better to comply and
avoid prosecution.
Notes to Editors
The Better Regulation Executive’s full report on the Gangmasters
Licensing Authority can be found at www.bis.gov.uk/ The
Gangmasters Licensing Authority was created in April 2005 under
the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 with its core remit to
regulate those who provide labour into farming and the food
industry.The review team was drawn from the Better Regulation
Executive within the Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills and from government and the regulatory sector, including
the NAO, Consumer Focus and Animal Health.The Hampton
Implementation Review process, that will examine a total of 31
national regulators, follow two independent reports by Sir Philip
Hampton and Professor Richard Macrory on making inspection and
enforcement of regulation more effective. The Hampton Review in
2005 - led by Sir Philip Hampton - recommended an end to the one
size fits all approach to regulation and that regulators should
take a risk-based approach to enforcement and information
gathering. Among its findings were that regulators should carry
out inspections only when needed and avoid unnecessary
form-filling and duplication of effort or information. In 2006
Professor Richard Macrory's review of penalties for
failure to comply with regulatory obligations recommended that
regulators should focus on outcomes, rather than action. He
recommended that sanctions should be aimed at changing the
behaviour of non-compliant businesses and eliminating any
financial gain from non-compliance. Examples of how individuals
and businesses are benefiting from changes to regulation can be
found on www.betterregulation.gov.uk. The site also invites
suggestions for what else can be done to reduce red tape.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is
building a dynamic and competitive UK economy by: creating the
conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise
and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to
succeed. To achieve this it will foster world-class universities
and promote an open global economy. BIS - Investing in our future
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Clare Keen
Phone: 020 7215 5971
Clare.Keen@bis.gsi.gov.uk