Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Accepted
Paragraph: 48
We call on the Government to ensure effective partnerships with business and other related parties...
Recommendation
We call on the Government to ensure effective partnerships with business and other related parties on the development of regulation, with better use of impact assessments. It would be for the Government, industry, and regulators to determine the form of any future partnership working, but the evidence presented to us indicates that it would boost business confidence and provide a foundation for mutual understanding and effective communication between industry and Government.
Government Response Summary
The Government agrees with effective engagement with business and key stakeholders, with reformed Better Regulation Framework launched to broaden early-stage impact assessments for significant regulations including impacts on businesses, households, trade, competition and innovation.
Paragraph Reference:
48
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government agrees that the development of regulation should include effective engagement with business and other key stakeholders wherever possible. As highlighted in the Government’s Consultation Principles, formal consultations are only part of a process of engagement, and it should be an iterative process. The production of impact assessments (IAs) is an important component of the preparation of regulation, and the Government remains committed to these being made available alongside consultations where appropriate. This publication also allows businesses and their representative organizations to see and comment on IAs where relevant. To ensure IAs are as valuable as possible, the Better Regulation Framework sets out the requirements for independent scrutiny of IAs for significant regulatory proposals and supports best practice policy making. As announced in the paper ‘Smarter regulation to grow the economy’, the Government plans to launch a reformed Better Regulation Framework later this summer. The objectives of the new Framework are: increased engagement with departments to help drive the consideration and use of alternatives to regulation; earlier and more holistic scrutiny of regulatory proposals; and earlier and more consistent evaluation of whether implemented regulations are achieving their aims and objectives. The proposed reforms will broaden early-stage impact assessments for significant regulations to include consideration of a more holistic set of criteria and metrics, including impacts on businesses, households, international trade, competition and innovation. This earlier and broader scrutiny will help encourage better engagement with business and consideration of alternatives to regulation. The new Framework will continue to require