The Government
response to the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council (RRAC)
report: Response with Responsibility: Policy-making for public
risk in the 21st century was published today by the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills.
The Government welcomed the RRAC’s report as a valuable
contribution to the development of the better regulation agenda,
and in refining its approach to risk. It accepted in part the
RRAC’s three main recommendations and agreed to build on the
RRAC’s work, aiming to embed its approach within the culture of
policy making.
Key parts of the response included:
• the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) will consider public risk
as part of their scrutiny of government policy;
• the Better Regulation Executive will encourage policy makers to
engage with ‘risk actors’ - those groups that shape perceptions
and responses to public risk – during the development of their
policies; and
• BIS will work with the Health and Safety Executive and others
to take forward open research questions to help Government
consider the appropriate response and responsibility for public risks.
Ian Lucas, Minister for Business and Regulatory Reform, said:
“Public risk affects every area of society, from health,
finances, to the environment and safety. People feel strongly
about public risk issues, and there is often pressure to react in
haste when something goes wrong. The complexity of public risk and
calls for urgent intervention can result in poor and ineffective solutions.
“The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council have moved the debate
on public risk significantly forward, delivering practical
results. Its findings reinforce the importance of considering the
need for intervention, who is best placed to take responsibility
for risk, and for effective risk communication.
“This Government response will build on our ambitious and
wide-ranging regulatory reform agenda. It will help to improve
policy making across government and transform the regulatory
framework to deliver better outcomes for us all.”
Notes to Editors
1. The Government response to the Risk and Regulation Advisory
Council is available at: http://www.berr.gov.uk//files/file54045.pdf
2. The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council was set up by the
Prime Minister in January 2008 to work with Government and
stakeholders across society to improve understanding of public
risk and how best to respond to it.
3. The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council defines public risk
as follows: “Public risks are risks that may affect any part of
society and to which government is expected to respond”.
4. The Council published a report of its findings with three
recommendations on Government in May 2009.
Recommendation 1. The Government take on the Risk and Regulation
Advisory Council’s analyses, thinking, approach and tools to
improve its policy making.Recommendation 2. The Regulatory Policy
Committee should embrace issues across society, not simply in the
narrow realm of business. It should hold Ministers to account on
whether or not actual rather than perceived risk is being
considered in cost/benefit analyses; evidence-based consideration
is given to understanding the system of forces playing on the risk
in question; all voices are heard during the process of
consultation, not just the loudest and most familiar; and the
implementation process tackles any remaining gaps between
perceived and actual risk.Recommendation 3. The Government, as
part of its current commitment to create the optimal risk and
regulatory governance framework, should without delay establish an
independent Public Risk Commission.The final report can be found
at http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file51459.pdf.
Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is
building a dynamic and competitive UK economy by: creating the
conditions for business success; promoting innovation, enterprise
and science; and giving everyone the skills and opportunities to
succeed. To achieve this it will foster world-class universities
and promote an open global economy. BIS - Investing in our future.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Clare Keen
Phone: 020 7215 5971
Clare.Keen@bis.gsi.gov.uk