Regulatory impact checks need to improve

12 Jul 07
Regulatory Impact Assessments are not being used effectively, government auditors said this week.

13 July 2007

Regulatory Impact Assessments are not being used effectively, government auditors said this week.

The National Audit Office report said RIAs often failed to consider the full costs and benefits or the long-term implications of regulation, particularly around compliance and enforcement.

NAO head Sir John Bourn said: 'Impact assessments should be at the heart of the policy-making process, but they have not always been used effectively. They need to add to the substance and effectiveness of the policy-making process, not be viewed as a box to tick.'

The July 11 report is the fourth evaluation of RIAs the NAO has conducted. It sampled assessments from the Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government. While all those sampled were found to be competent, there were continued weaknesses in the quality of the cost-benefit analyses.

The report wants to improve RIAs' standing and influence by integrating them more in policy making. It encourages departments to use new guidance, published by the Better Regulation Executive in April, to this end.

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