Better Policy Making
In their report Better
Regulation: Making Good Use of Regulatory Impact Assessments
(PDF - 1.12MB), published in November 2001, the National Audit Office
(NAO) said that RIAs add value to the policy making process and
can help deliver better and lighter touch regulation. They have
also produced a checklist
setting out key points which they found deserve particular attention
if good use is to be made of RIAs.
Following on from this study, the NAO are examining a sample of
RIAs referred to them by the Better Regulation Task Force. They
piloted this approach in 2003 and will issue a compilation report
at the end of the year, drawing on lessons learned from individual
studies on RIAs and setting out any remedial action taken by departments
in-year.
RIAs should be seen within the context of making better
policy.
They should be at the heart of evidence-based policy making. To
find out more about Better Policy Making, visit the Cabinet Office
Strategy Unit’s website Policy Hub
The Better Regulation Task Force (BRTF) has developed five principles
of good regulation:
- transparent – open, simple and user friendly;
- accountable – to Ministers and Parliament, to users and
the public;
- proportionate – to the risk;
- consistent – predictable, so that people know where they
stand; and
- targeted – focused on the problem, with minimal side effects.
These principles are used by the BRTF to judge policy implementation;
you may wish to take them into account when developing a policy.
The BRTF is happy to be consulted:
Telephone 020 7276 2139
mailto:taskforce@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk
Website www.brtf.gov.uk
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