Mandarins see the real world of small business

Senior civil servants will be going to the coal face to better understand the obstacles and opportunities facing small businesses in the UK - and the practical impact of the regulations they draft.

According to a report in the Times, DTI's Secretary of State, Patricia Hewitt has instructed 200 of the most senior civil servants in her Department to spend a week each year working in a small business.

For many years there has been a programme whereby senior civil servants and industry workers exchange roles for anything from one day to several months' secondments but often this has involved big business or commerce.

The small business focus is the brainchild of William Sargent, chairman of the Small Business Council, an arm of the DTI, who is reported to have discussed expanding the scheme with Prime Minister, Tony Blair.

The scheme is also being introduced at Customs & Excise and the Inland Revenue, but, it is understood that they are finding it difficult to find firms willing to take them in and some bosses are insisting that participants sign confidentiality clauses.

The definition of small business for this purpose is fewer than 200 staff which, it is believed will give civil servants the opportunity to 'see all aspects of the company and be there long enough to become part of the wallpaper'.

As part of the hands-on experience, it is hoped that civil servants get a much better understanding of the impact of the regulations they draft and the challenges and problems that small businesses face in complying with them.