Open Consultation
(Department for Business & Trade – UK Gov)

Closes 11:59pm on 11 July 2024

What’s it about?

Smarter Regulation:
Deregulating the Commercial Agents Regulations

To read the whole document from the Department for Business & Trade, download the PDF document.

The UK Department for Business & Trade are reviewing the operation of the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993 (CARs) to ensure that they meet the needs of UK business following the UK leaving the European Union. They want your views on their proposals to deregulate these regulations to ensure that they are fit for the UK and to help reduce burdens on business.

By deregulating the CARs they will remove from the statute book regulations that do not fit easily into our legal framework, removing confusion for business and the courts in interpreting them.

Their proposals include provision for existing contacts negotiated under the CARs to remain in force until they naturally end but will prevent no further contacts to be negotiated under the regulations.

NOTE for Agents in Northern Ireland

The proposals the department are consulting on, cover Great Britain only. Similar regulations for Northern Ireland are set out in the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1993. It will be a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive to determine if and how it reforms these regulations. The requirements of the Northern Ireland regulations broadly mirror those of its Great Britain equivalent. The department will work with the Northern Ireland Executive, including to share the findings from this consultation, to inform policy development in Northern Ireland.

Audiences: We are particularly interested to hear from businesses and their trade associations, commercial agents, representative bodies, enforcers such as Trading Standards departments or their representatives, academics including legal academics, and consumers and their representatives.  When responding please state whether you are responding as an individual or representing an organisation