New research released today by the Institute of Economic Affairs shows:

Plans to scrap or simplify more than 160 regulations, freeing the public and retailers from rules that are unnecessarily burdensome, overly bureaucratic or completely redundant have been announced today by Business Secretary Vince Cable.

Under Article 22a of the forthcoming EU Consumer Rights Directive, web-based independent traders could soon be obliged to sell their products to almost every country in Europe.

And under Article 17 of the Directive, businesses would be forced to pay the postage costs if a customer decides to return goods worth more than £35, within up to two weeks of a purchase being made.

The European Commission says its efforts to cut unnecessary administrative burdens are progressing well. They claim they are making the lives of businesses easier, in particular small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and strengthening European competitiveness.

The Prime Minister and Cabinet have moved quickly to accept all the recommendations put forward in Lord Young of Graffham's report "Common Sense, Common Safety". This examined the UK’s compensation culture and the impact of health and safety regulations on businesses and personal freedom.

Common Sense, Common Safety puts forward a series of policies to ensure Health and Safety is taken seriously by employers and the general public, but minimise the burden on small business is as insignificant as possible.