The commitment in Partnership 2000 to introduce a national strategy on administrative simplification is being progressed through the Strategic Management Initiative. A working group on regulatory reform prepared a report setting out the essentials of a national strategy on administrative simplification. The Department of the Taoiseach, in co-operation with my Department, is formulating proposals regarding implementation of such a strategy and the Taoiseach will bring these proposals to Government for decision in early 1999.
Progress has also been made on a number of the specific issues which Partnership 2000 included under the national strategy. For example, on the commitment to remove the statutory audit, the Government has approved a draft scheme to amend the Companies (Amendment) Act, 1990, including the removal of the statutory audit from companies with a turnover below £100,000.
On the commitment to establish a consultative forum, a small business users panel has been set up to explore how the administration of PAYE and social welfare by small businesses can be simplified.
My Department has also been pursuing the recommendations in the report of the Task Force on Small Business relating to the reduction of administrative burdens. To date, of the 37 recommendations relating to this issue contained in the report, 60 per cent have been fully or partially implemented. In view of the passage of time since the task force reported I have asked the Small Business and Services Forum to review the outstanding recommendations in the report.