Yes. Some people complain about the British system - but in my experience it's mostly the people who can't or won't become competent enough.
The general experience is that we tend to be very thorough on safety and procedure - but quite slick when people are prepared to jump through all the hoops. Equally some things are easier to do than others - and bringing a second hand sub-ICAO aeroplane into the UK has never been very easy and the main associations will usually actively try and talk you out of trying.
G