Tedious bureaucracy (3,4)
I believe the answer is:
red tape
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">tedious bureaucracy</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><br/ >This is all the clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for red tape that I've seen before include "Intricate official routine" , "Scarlet ribbon of bureaucracy" , "officialdom" , "Time consuming bureaucracy" , "Colourful ribbon associated with bureaucracy" .)