About us
Background
The Government announced in Budget 2005 that it would establish a Better
Regulation Commission (BRC) to provide independent advice to government,
from business and other external stakeholders, about new regulatory
proposals and about the Government's overall regulatory performance.
The Commission will continue the challenge role carried out by the Better
Regulation Task Force, as well as take on new responsibilities following
the announcements in Budget 2005, including vetting departmental plans for
simplification and administrative burden reduction.
Terms of Reference
The Better Regulation Commission is an independent advisory body whose
terms of reference are:
'To advise the Government on action to:
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reduce unnecessary regulatory and administrative burdens; and
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ensure that regulation and its enforcement are proportionate,
accountable, consistent, transparent and targeted'
The work of the Commission will include:
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Challenging departments and regulators to ensure that regulation, and its
enforcement accord with the five Principles of Good Regulation -
proportionality, accountability, consistency, transparency and targeting;
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Vetting plans from departments and regulators to reduce administrative
burdens;
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Scrutinising progress by departments and regulators to reduce wider
regulatory burdens, including use of alternatives and deregulation;
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Investigating specific regulatory and policy issues and making
recommendations to Government through published independent reports for
Government to respond to within 60 days;
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Working with business and other external stakeholders in EU Member
States, and the EU institutions, to promote better regulation in Europe.
The scope of the work carried out by the Commission will cover the private
sector, public sector, voluntary sector and EU regulatory issues.
Reports
The Commission will continue the Better Regulation Task Force tradition of
researching and publishing studies of particular regulatory issues. Anyone
can suggest topics for new studies. Once a subject has been chosen, these
reviews are taken forward by sub-groups of Commission members who set their
own working methods and priorities.
As an advisory group with limited resources, the Commission cannot carry
out full consultation, but all sub-groups discuss their proposals with key
organisations and individuals, as well as with Ministers and Government
Departments. All reports are endorsed by the full Commission before being
sent to the relevant Ministers for their response. The Prime Minister has
asked Ministers to respond to Commission reports within 60 days of
publication.
Better Regulation Commission members
There are currently 15 independent and voluntary members of the Better
Regulation Commission. The members come from a variety of backgrounds
including business, the public sector, the voluntary sector and trade
unions. All members are recruited for their expertise in a particular area.
You can view the biographies of our current Commission members:
