Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

Department overview
Formed	28 June 2007
Preceding Department	Department of Trade and Industry
Dissolved	6 June 2009
Superseding agency	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
Jurisdiction	United Kingdom
Headquarters	Victoria Street, London

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was a special part of the United Kingdom government. It was like a big office that helped businesses and made sure rules were fair. BERR was created on June 28, 2007, and it took over from an older department called the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

BERR itself stopped existing on June 6, 2009. Its jobs were then taken over by a new department called the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

What Did the BERR Do?

The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) had many important jobs. It was mainly in charge of things that the old Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) used to do.

Key Responsibilities of BERR

BERR looked after several key areas to help the UK economy:

• Company Law: This meant making sure the rules for how businesses are set up and run were clear and fair.
• Trade: Helping UK businesses buy and sell goods and services with other countries.
• Business Growth: Finding ways to help new and existing businesses grow bigger and create more jobs.
• Employment Law: Setting the rules for how employers and employees should work together, like minimum wage and working hours.
• Regional Economic Development: Helping different parts of the UK, like specific towns or regions, to become stronger economically.
• Consumer Law: Protecting people who buy things, making sure they are treated fairly and safely.

Changes to BERR's Responsibilities

When BERR was first created, some parts of the government moved around.

• The Office of Science and Innovation, which dealt with new discoveries and technology, moved to a new department. This new department was called the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
• The Better Regulation Executive, which worked on making government rules simpler, moved to BERR from the Cabinet Office.
• Later, in October 2008, the job of looking after energy policy (like how the UK gets its power) moved to a brand new department. This was the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

Finally, in June 2009, BERR joined together with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Together, they formed the new Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Helping Businesses and Young Entrepreneurs

BERR played a big role in putting the Companies Act 2006 into action. This was a major law that updated how companies in the UK are formed and managed.

The department also worked hard to encourage entrepreneurship across the UK. Entrepreneurship means having the ideas and drive to start your own business or create new things. BERR supported several projects to help people become more enterprising, especially young people.

Supporting New Ideas

Two important initiatives supported by BERR were:

• Make Your Mark: This was a national campaign in the UK. Its goal was to give people the confidence, skills, and ambition to be more enterprising. It encouraged them to think about starting their own projects or businesses.
• Global Entrepreneurship Week: This was the first worldwide event to celebrate and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship. It focused on inspiring young people around the globe to think like entrepreneurs.

Leaders of BERR (2007–2009)

The person in charge of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform was called the Secretary of State. This is a very important government minister. Here are the people who held this role during BERR's time:

Name		Portrait	Took office	Left office	Political party	Prime Minister
	John Hutton		28 June 2007	3 October 2008	Labour		Gordon Brown
	The Lord Mandelson		3 October 2008	5 June 2009