Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 11
11
To meet these challenges and opportunities, regulators need to recruit and retain the right staff,...
Conclusion
To meet these challenges and opportunities, regulators need to recruit and retain the right staff, collaborate effectively both domestically and internationally, and exploit new technology to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. Ofcom has recruited a new chief technology officer from industry and told us that recruiting the right skills was difficult but that it was confident it could attract and deploy the right skills by working with other regulators and thinking creatively about its approach.20 HSE described plans to establish a data-sharing hub for regulators, which will be a single source of information on business risk and compliance. The HSE hopes this hub will also reduce the need for businesses to provide the same information to multiple regulators.21 The Environment Agency also set out how it is using new technology to improve its data collection, including the use of remote monitoring, satellites and drones.22 13 Q 61 14 Q 62 15 NAO report, page 31 16 Q 28 17 Qq 29–30 18 Qq 31, 36 19 Q 27 20 Qq 29–30, 48 21 Q 41 22 Q 24 Principles of effective regulation 11
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Winter 2021 3.2 As outlined in the consultation on Better Regulation that closed on 1 October 2021, the government has set out five principles that will underpin the approach to regulation to ensure it benefits the British people and takes advantages of the new opportunities from leaving the EU: • regulation will have a sovereign approach that tailors how rules are set to boost growth for the UK; • the UK will lead from the front by acting flexibly and supporting the development of new technologies; • the way regulation is developed will be proportional and responsive; • by analysing regulations to ensure they work effectively in practice, the government will ensure regulation works; and • high standards will be set at home and globally. 24 • the responses to the consultation are currently being considered and the government’s response will be published in due course.