Regulating the Regulators

The Baroness Deech of Cumnor DBE

Gresham Professor of Law

This lecture will soon be available on the Gresham College website,where it will join our online archive of over 1,000 lectures.

www.gresham.ac.uk

The sofa I can’t give away

Furniture and Furnishings (Fire)(Safety) Regs 1988

The Great Fire of London

• London Building Act 1667

• Brick and stone houses only

• No projections• Road widths

The Livery Guilds

• Drapers• Skinners• Mercers• Grocers• Fishmongers• Merchant Taylors• Haberdashers• Salters• Ironmongers

The Regulators

• Ofcom

• Press Complaints Commission

• Financial Services Authority

• Ofgem

• Environment Agency

• Food Standards Authority

• HFEA and HTA

Safety

• London Taxis & Private Hire

• Gangmasters Licensing Act

Theories of regulation

• Risk based

• Principled

• Rule based

• Outcomes focused

• Really responsive

• Right touch

Failures

• Fukushima• Mexico Gulf oil spill

UK failures

• Baby P• Northern Rock

The Cost

• Since 1999 £90bn, 12% GDP

• 11,000 pages of new EU legislation 2007

• Working Time Regs 1999

• Data Protection Act

• Vehicle Excise Duty Reduced Pollution

The quangos• Animal Health• CQC• CEFAS• Charity Commission• Civil Aviation Authority• Companies House• Competition Commission• Drinking Water Inspectorate• Driving Standards Agency• DVLA• Employment Agy Standards• Environment Agency• EHRC• Financial Reporting Council

• FSA• Food & Environment Research• Food Standards• Football Licensing• Forestry Commission• Gambling Commission• Gangmasters Licensing• HSE• HFEA• HTA• Information Commissioner• Insolvency Service• Marine & Fisheries Agy• Maritime & Coastguard Agy

More quangos

• MHRA• National Lottery Comm• National Measurement Office• Natural England• Ofcom• OFT• Office of Rail Reg• Immigration Services Comm• Ofgem• Ofqual• Ofsted

• Ofwat• Pensions Regulator• Postcomm• Renewable Fuels Agy• Rural Payments Agy• Standards for England• Security Industry Auth• Vehicle Certification Agy• Veterinary Medicines

Directorate• Vehicle & Operator Services

Agy

Reports

• Regulatory Justice: Making Sanctions Effective (2006)

• The Future of Regulation in the Public Sector (2006)

• Lightening the Load (2010)

• Common Sense Common Safety (2010)

• Delivering Regulatory Reform 2011

Hampton Principles

• Comprehensive risk assessment• Accountable for efficiency & effectiveness• No inspection without a reason• No unnecessary information, or twice• Proportionate sanctions, speedy identification• Accessible advice• Right size and scope• No new ones if existing one can do it• Allow economic progress

Legal Regulation

• Promoting and protecting the public interest• Supporting the rule of law• Access to justice• Interests of consumers• Competition in service provision• Independent, strong diverse profession• Public understanding of rights & duties• Professional principles

Hydra’s heads

• Deregulation unit of DTI 1986

• Better Regulation Unit

• Better Regulation Task Force (proportionality, accountability, consistency, transparency, targeting)

• Regulatory Impact Unit 1999

• Better Regulation Executive 2005

• Better Regulation Action Plan

Hercules’ work

• Better Regulation Commission 2006

• Risk & Regulatory Advisory Council 2008

• Regulatory policy Committee 2009

• Better Regulation Strategy Group 2010

• Reducing Regulation Committee and Challenge Group 2010