Government asks for views on removing ‘green tape’

Environment minister Jim Paice said he wanted businesses to share ideas on how to improve environmental regulations and insisted the initiative was not about reducing standards.

"Regulation has an important role to play in protecting the environment and our natural resources, but some of the rules we ask businesses to follow are either too complicated, ineffective or just obsolete. The Red Tape Challenge is a chance to tell us how we can protect the environment in a more effective and simpler way that puts fewer burdens on businesses," he said.

"There are also other ways of providing environmental protection that don’t require regulation, which is why we want to hear ideas for doing things differently without affecting our responsibilities to the natural world."

Criticised

However, the move has been criticised by green groups and charities.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) and walking charity the Ramblers both described it as making a mockery of the Government’s message about being the 'greenest ever’ and FoE said it undermined those businesses that wanted to operated under the highest green standards.

"Environmental regulations can be good news for business – they give certainty about the Government's commitment to building a stable, clean and healthy future and encourage firms to invest in new technologies and industries," Friends of the Earth's Policy and Campaigns director Craig Bennett, said.