FSB’s Director of Devolved Nations, Colin Borland, who was a member of the New Deal for Business Group, said:
“Having been part of the New Deal for Business Group since the outset, it’s great to see the issues we highlighted around the table beginning to translate into tangible actions.
“One thing that comes through very clearly from the plan is a commitment to understand and address the cumulative impact of government interventions. While new regulations can seem sensible or proportionate in isolation, businesses aren’t told to comply with them in isolation. We know that the overall regulatory burden, coupled with ongoing challenging trading conditions, is having a real impact on some of our smallest operators.
“We welcome the promise to develop a new way of assessing the impact of new regulations on businesses’ bottom lines. Having a specific Small Business Impact Test embedded in a new Business Regulatory Impact Assessment process needs to hardwire the needs of our smallest traders into policy making.
“More widely, the plan also sets out a commitment to a full, in-depth review of how the Scottish Government develops policies that impact on business. We need the right people involved at the right time, at every point of the policy cycle – and that includes asking whether regulation is essential in the first place.
“We look forward to continuing to play our part in making sure that the key actions in this plan are implemented effectively and on time.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
- The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is Scotland’s leading business organisation and aims to help smaller businesses achieve their ambitions. These micro, small and medium businesses comprise almost all enterprises in Scotland (99%), employ 1.2 million people and contribute £110bn to the economy.
- The plan can be found here.
Media contact
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07825 125695