| An independent watchdog
that reviews government proposals for new
regulations affecting businesses says a
“worryingly high proportion” fail to make
a strong enough case. The Regulatory
Policy Committee (RPC) reviews the
evidence supporting new regulation before
the proposals go forward to the
government’s Reducing Regulation
Committee, which has the power to send
them back to departments.
In its Challenging Regulation report,
issued on 28 February, the BPC said it had
significant concerns over 44 per cent of
the draft impact assessments accompanying
draft regulations – designed to identify
the costs and benefits of the proposal,
including the impact on groups including
businesses – examined between September
and December last year. The RPC looked at
189 impact assessments in that period.
Sir Don Curry, chair of the Better
Regulation Executive, which leads the
regulatory reform agenda across
government, said: “Independent scrutiny of
the impact that new regulations have on
business is central to the government’s
plans to cut the flow of new red tape.
“With that being the case, it’s
disappointing that nearly half of the
proposals that the RPC has been asked to
give its opinion on are not up to
scratch.”
Business Minister Mark Prisk said that
impact assessments must be “robust and
comprehensive”, adding: “Only when
regulation is used as a last resort can we
create the right conditions for growth and
strengthen the economy.”
LINK:
Regulatory Policy Committee |
