Frequency of MOT tests 'should be reduced'

According to Lord Davidson QC, British motorists would save a collective £465 million a year if the UK's tests were brought into line with those applying in other European countries.

Reducing the number of safety tests was just one of several recommendations made following an inquiry by Lord Davidson on behalf of the Government into the implementation of European Union (EU) legislation.

It also suggested local councils should not force all food workers to attend hygiene courses, that waste regulatory regimes be re-examined and consult on road haulage operator licencing.

Lord Davidson was asked to look at so-called "gold plating" and "regulatory creep" - where Britain goes further than required under regulations issued by Brussels. The report concluded that, while this was not as widespread as sometimes claimed, there were at least ten areas where up to £670 million could be saved by businesses and consumers.

Road safety?

One of the most significant potential savings identified was in MOT testing, which UK vehicles have to undergo every year once they are three years old.

European standards require an inspection every other year and only on vehicles more than four years old, costing drivers less and cutting down on paperwork.

Lord Davidson called for the system to be reviewed - but also warned that savings would have to be weighed against road safety considerations.

Local authorities that insisted on food workers attending courses could be imposing "unnecessary costs'' on businesses, the report found. It called on the Food Standards Agency to remind local authorities that EU rules only required firms to supervise, train or instruct employees.

The report also said that simplified procedures for consumers to complain about being sold faulty goods should be implemented by 2009.

'Unnecessarily complicated'

Lord Davidson said: "In some cases, additions made during the transposition of European legislation provide benefits to business such as greater legal clarity and the streamlining of existing domestic legislation.

"However, there are examples where UK implementation could be less burdensome without harming the intended protection provided by the regulation. My proposals should enable business to compete more effectively. My hope is that they will also reduce the chance of unnecessary over-implementation in the future."

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) EU affairs chairman Tina Sommer commented: "Davidson's recommendations are a good start, particularly where they tackle problems with specific EU directives that have been made unnecessarily complicated and burdensome when transposed into UK law.

"But this won't solve the long-standing problem of the flawed processes by which all EU laws are implemented for the UK's 4.3 million small businesses. It is disappointing to see that the review shied away from recommending an independent body to monitor this process."