YORKSHIRE BUSINESSES OFFERED DISCOUNT FOR GOVERNMENT BACKED ADVICE SCHEME

[YBF]

YORKSHIRE BUSINESSES OFFERED DISCOUNT FOR GOVERNMENT BACKED ADVICE SCHEME

Businesses in Yorkshire will be offered discounts on tailored advice about employment and health and safety law, under a pilot scheme launched by Employment Relations Minister Lord Young today.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is offering Small and Medium Size Enterprises a £50 discount on insured advice as part of a trial it is running in the region.

Insured advice can give SMEs confidence they are meeting their legal obligations. Provided they follow the advice, their advisor will cover any legal costs or tribunal awards the firm may incur.

Employment Relations Minister Lord Young said:

“Every year almost half of businesses seek external advice about how to follow regulations, spending at least £1.4 billion. Insured advice could help companies in Yorkshire feel more confident that they are meeting their legal obligations”.


SMEs can sign up until 31 March 2010 although places are limited to 4,500 companies which means the scheme could close earlier.

The pilot scheme has been set up in response to the Anderson Review which recommended that the Government should give SMEs access to an insured advice helpline on employment and health and safety law.

The review looked into the best way Government can give regulatory guidance to businesses and made twelve recommendations which aimed to increase the certainty, accessibility and clarity of guidance provided to SMEs. It argued that insured advice could provide the certainty that SMEs want and that existing Government guidance does not provide.

Sarah Anderson, who wrote the review, said:

“I’m pleased that the Government is running this pilot to raise awareness of a valuable service.

“Insured Advice gives SMEs an absolute guarantee they will be protected from the potential costs of employment and health and safety disputes. With one phone call they can access clear, practical advice based on their business’s unique circumstances.

“So long as they follow this advice, the adviser will cover any legal costs or tribunal awards they incur”.


This pilot scheme is designed to enable the Government to understand the value of insured advice to SMEs and test the effectiveness of different ways of delivering it.

Notes to Editors
1) An SME is a company with fewer than 250 employees.

2) SMEs based in Yorkshire should visit www.businesslinkyorkshire.co.uk/insuredadvice where they can complete a registration form and be given a Unique Reference Number as proof that they have registered. They will then be able to choose from insured advice products offered by 13 different insured advice providers. When they've decided, they can claim their £50 discount by contacting the provider and quoting their URN.

3) The cost of a policy ranges from £99 to over £16,000 per year.

4) The 2008 Enterprise Strategy asked Sarah Anderson CBE to conduct an independent review looking into the best ways Government can give regulatory guidance to businesses. The report, 'The Good Guidance Guide' published on 28 January 2009, focused on the need for government to give businesses greater certainty over finding, following and interpreting guidance. The Anderson Review and the Government response can be found here: www.bis.gov.uk/insuredadvicepilots