Government 'squashing safety laws'

Buried on page 50 is an announcement that the coalition will launch a "second phase of the red tape challenge," which page 93 states will begin in "summer 2013."

The red tape challenge was announced by ex-employment minister Chris Grayling as part of cuts to laws, including those covering workers' rights and health and safety.

He claimed that it would relieve businesses of a "burden," but campaigners argued that attacking health and safety laws would cost lives.

Construction union Ucatt general secretary Steve Murphy said that it was "used to cynically attack workers' rights and safety laws.

"A second phase is likely to be even worse."

The bonfire of regulations comes on top of major cuts to the budget of the Health and Safety Executive, which has carried out a third fewer surprise inspections.

And many workplaces have been moved into the "low-risk" category, when the evidence is that they are anything but.

On page 50 of the Budget, the government celebrates "saving business over £155 million a year."

It continues: "By the end of 2013 the first phase of the red tape challenge will have identified 3,000 regulations to be abolished or simplified."

The coalition said that the second phase "will look at the whole regulatory system," with "laws, guidance, compliance and enforcement" all on the chopping block.

"If the government really thought that cutting safety laws and making it easier to sack workers was the way to increase growth and prosperity, surely they would publicise their polices and not hid them in the budget's small print," said Mr Murphy.