Business Regulation 

This is where the Institute posts material related to the regulation of businesses to ensure that products, services and premises of work comply with the law and are safe. If you have material to add, or would like to help curate this page, please contact us. 

Information from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT):

Published 17.12.2025

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) has announced the commissioning of Annual Simplification Plans, a key element of the government’s Admin Burden Reduction Programme. Launched on 10 December, the initiative commits to reducing administrative burdens on businesses by 25%, equivalent to £5.6bn, by the end of this Parliament.

The programme sets out how regulators and ALBs can support this collective target. Departments are required to submit their Annual Simplification Plans by 10 March 2026, with regulators and ALBs encouraged to engage proactively with sponsor teams to ensure their contributions are reflected. 

Examples include:

1. Digitising the processes businesses need to comply with, including making guidance machine-readable and digitally enabled;

2. Reducing delays in processing time and reducing the uncertainty faced by businesses;

3. Removing or reducing reporting or other requirements that cause undue administrative burdens to businesses or are otherwise not justified by the scale of benefits they create;

4. Clarifying and simplifying guidance to business.

Supporting materials include the Regulation Admin Burden Playbook V3, Admin Burden Calculator, Annual Simplification Plan Template, Delivery Group slides, and Q&A write‑up.

Organisations involved in business regulation include:

• The Advertising Standards Authority is the UK’s independent regulator of advertising across all media.

• The British Board of Film Classification is responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works released on physical media within the UK. 

• The Independent Press Standards Organisation is the independent regulator of the newspaper and magazine industry in the UK.

• The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in Great Britain.

• The Office for Product Safety and Standards makes regulation work, so that it protects people and enables businesses to understand their obligations

• The Civil Aviation Authority is the UK’s aviation regulator.

• The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency carries out driving tests, approves people to be driving instructors and MOT testers, and tests lorries and buses to make sure they are safe.

• The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency maintains a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire UK.

• The Vehicle Certification Authority improves vehicle safety and environmental protection by providing robust testing and certification to internationally recognised standards.

• The Competition and Markets Authority promotes competition among businesses for the benefit of consumers, both within and outside the UK.

• Companies House is the UK’s registrar of companies and where all registered limited companies must file annual financial statements and company returns.

• The Animal and Plant Health Agency safeguards animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy.

• The Food Standards Agency is responsible for protecting public health in relation to food in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

• The Intellectual Property Office is responsible for intellectual property rights in the UK.

• The Gambling Commission is responsible for regulating gambling and supervising gaming law in Great Britain.

• The Security Industry Authority is responsible for regulating the private security industry in the UK.

• The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority is the investigative agency for labour exploitation in the UK, working with the police to protect vulnerable and exploited workers.

• The Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) regulates single source or non-competitive defence contracts.

• The Groceries Code Adjudicator (or Supermarket Ombudsman) is responsible for regulating the relationship between supermarkets and their direct suppliers within the UK.

Further reading and information:

• Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng and the Rt Hon Lord Frost (2021) Reforming the Framework for Better Regulation: a consultation.

• Office of Product Safety and Standards (2019) Business regulation: guidance and tools.

• Department for Business Innovation and Skills (2015) 2010 to 2015 government policy: business regulation.