Notes to Editors
1. Volunteer Events, which is the third review theme to be launched, is now live on the Focus on Enforcement website and can be found at: http://discuss.bis.gov.uk/focusonenforcement. The site gives individuals and businesses the opportunity to suggest areas for review of compliance and enforcement arrangements, and to provide evidence on areas ‘in focus’. Other review themes underway include:
· smaller food and drink manufacturers
· chemicals sector.
2. The focus of these reviews is on the way regulation is delivered and compliance is achieved – whether through inspections, advice or enforcement – not about the regulations themselves. A separate initiative – Red Tape Challenge – invites the public, business and the voluntary and community sector to give their views, comments and ideas on what regulations should stay, be improved, or be scrapped altogether. The Volunteer Events theme will run alongside the Civil Society theme on the Red Tape Challenge, which was launched on Friday and be accessed at: http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/themehome/civil-society/
3. Each review starts with a 5-6 week evidence-gathering phase.
4. The Focus on Enforcement website, for the first time, provides details on national regulators, their remits and regulatory budgets and staff resource in one place and information is also provided on regulatory functions undertaken by local authorities. (A large number of organisations play a part in securing compliance with the law. They include national regulators, local authorities, and bodies independent of Government, some of which have statutory regulatory functions. The list on the website is not exhaustive and details will continue to be added and updated).
5. The scope of the Volunteer Events enforcement theme will cover:
· Regulatory activity by national regulators and/or local authorities that affects/is perceived to affect the arranging and running of events by volunteer-based organisations, including (this is not exhaustive):
* preparation and sale of cooked foods (such as cake-bakes to raise funds for the school PTA)
* sale of second-hand goods (jumble-sales, bring-and-buy sales, for example)
* raffles
* sponsored events (fun-runs, three-peaks challenge)
* staging of performances involving sale of tickets to raise money, such as choral events, plays, poetry-readings (but not including copyright issues)
* street parties.
However the scope will exclude:
· Events arranged principally for the purposes of commercial gain
· Sales through premises intended permanently for the purpose of raising funds for voluntary or charitable purposes, such as charity shops
· Activities that take place for prolonged periods of time, such as longer than 2 weeks
· Regulation of the governance, constitution and operating of Non-Government Organisations (Charities, Not for Profit Businesses, for example)
· Regulation of working with children (CRB checks etc)
· Review of the legislation (primary or secondary), rather than the implementation/enforcement of the legislation governing volunteer events
‘Regulatory activity’ in this context includes action taken by national regulators or officers of local authorities, including but not limited to:
· provision of advice on compliance with the law
· nspections of locations or equipment in order to satisfy regulatory authorities of compliance with the law
· equirements to make formal applications, or provide information
· handling of emergency planning
· equirements to attend courses / obtain particular qualifications
· enforcement proceedings taken against individuals or organisations in the event of failure to comply with regulations (we cannot consider comments on specific cases unless all proceedings have finished – but we can consider general evidence in relation to enforcement proceedings)
8. The review will also seek to identify examples of effective, tailored and easy to understand guidance and advice for businesses, and good regulatory delivery that is risk-based, focused on achieving compliance and supporting business growth.
9. BIS's online newsroom contains the latest press notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom.