With further rules set to be introduced in the week following Red Tape Day, some business groups feel that the government have broken their promise to cut down the regulatory burden for businesses.

"The Government's promises to cut back on the amount of red tape that businesses have to deal with have still not borne fruit," stated Alina Lourie, director of enterprise-wide solutions at Sweet & Maxwell, the legal information provider.

Significant changes to employment legislation include corporate manslaughter regulations, an increased responsibility for employers to protect staff from sexual harassment by customers, increased maternity rights and the ability for employees to request a committee to be set up to aid communications between staff and management.