New moves to cut red tape and help the UK's retail sector have been announced by Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt.

Speaking at the British Retail Consortium's annual dinner, Ms Hewitt outlined a number of proposals, including:

Scrapping the need for
large stores to notify local authorities when they want to change their Sunday trading hours Supporting moves to
establish a common standard for proof of age schemes in the UK Providing £15 million to
help up to 7,500 small retailers join the Retail Crime Partnership.

Ms Hewitt said: "We are developing a robust and effective partnership between Government and the retail sector to get the best out of each other.

"Regulation can play a role but it must be a tool of last resort.

"We will only regulate where necessary - when best practice and voluntary measures will not achieve the outcomes we're looking for.

"Where we do regulate, we will make sure it is with as light a touch as possible.