The government has developed a "knee-jerk" culture of introducing new regulations to tackle problems, an official advisory group complained on Wednesday (16).

Ministers were urged to slash the administrative costs imposed on business and follow the lead of other countries in setting targets to cut red tape.

The Better Regulation Task Force said the government should apply a "one in, one out" approach to regulations, giving just as much priority to removing as introducing new ones.

A series of recommendations was made, including an assessment of the cost of regulatory proposals.

David Arculus, chairman of the task force, said: "Everyone wants less red tape. More paperwork means less productivity.

"A culture has developed in government in which the knee-jerk response to any problem is to regulate. Our report promises a red tape revolution in which this first impulse to regulate will be superseded by a focus on simplification and deregulation."