Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008

A Bill to make provision for the establishment of the Local Better Regulation Office; for the co-ordination of regulatory enforcement by local authorities; for the creation of civil sanctions in relation to regulatory offences; for the reduction and removal of regulatory burdens; and for connected purposes.

The Bill is part of the Government's ‘Better Regulation’ policy agenda which aims to improve and simplify the way legislation (on any subject) is made and enforced.

One aspect of this policy is a general principle that enforcement should focus on where the risks are greatest. This was the main proposal of the Hampton review in 2005. The creation of a Local Better Regulation Office was announced in the pre–Budget Report of December 2005 to implement some of the Hampton recommendations.

Key areas

• Converts the Local Better Regulation Office into a statutory non–departmental public body with various functions such as issuing guidance and supporting best practice by local authorities
• Allows provision for a wider range of administrative sanctions to be applied for various criminal breaches, in order to give regulators more options and greater flexibility when imposing sanctions.
• Provides a power to require regulators not to impose or maintain unnecessary regulatory burdens on businesses or individuals.