In response to Adam Entwistle's letter which was critical of the time taken by the SRA to process an ABS licensing application, I would like to reassure potential applicants that this has speeded up significantly since we introduced changes earlier this year.

We listened to the profession, and took into account our experience and learning gained during the first year of licensing. The result is a more streamlined and proportionate process, tailored to the risk that each individual application poses. We have received positive feedback on the changes we have made so far and we will continue to look at how we could modify the process further, where we are able to.

It is our responsibility to ensure the public is protected and liberalisation of the market takes place safely – but we know we also need to be easy to do business with. We have now licensed more than 160 ABSs and we welcome feedback from applicants to help us achieve this.

Samantha Barrass, executive director, SRA, Birmingham

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