PM calls for a better
approach to the understanding and management of public risk
DEPARTMENT FOR
BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM News Release (2008/011)
issued by The Government News Network on 16 January 2008
New Risk and
Regulatory Advisory Council appointed to meet the challenge
The Prime Minister today appointed the Risk and Regulation
Advisory Council (RRAC) as a key part of his drive to improve the
way risk to the public - from public health to pensions - is
understood and managed by government.
On taking office as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown stated his
commitment "to ensuring policy-making benefited from a fuller
and more rounded consideration of public risk". He asked the
BRC (Better Regulation Commission) to make proposals to ensure
"this ambition is embedded in real policy action, even when
facing pressures to react to events." The BRC's report
Public Risk - The Next Frontier for Better Regulation is published
today. Its central recommendation is the establishment of the Risk
and Regulation Advisory Council. The Prime Minister today accepted
the recommendation and said:
"The issue of public risk is one of the most challenging
areas of policy-making for any government. I have asked the Risk
and Regulation Advisory Council to provide a catalyst for the
change we need in the way policy is developed across all
departments. I am pleased to offer my support to the Council as
they embark on their work to improve public policy making."
Chaired by Rick Haythornthwaite, the new, independent Council has
seven unpaid members, with deep experience in regulatory issues
drawn from the public, private and third sectors, consumer groups
and trades unions. The RRAC will take forward the UK's first
ever work programme dedicated to understanding and promoting
proportionate responses to public risk, particularly when faced
with event-led pressure. Its Terms of Reference are:
* Working with Ministers and senior civil servants to develop a
better understanding of public risk, and how best to respond to
it, through a series of workshops which consider both good and
poor practice
* Working with external stakeholders to help foster a more
considered approach to public risk and policy making
* Ministers may also seek advice on particular issues from time
to time.
The RRAC will report to the Prime Minister. The initiative, led
by No 10 and managed by BERR and its Secretary of State John
Hutton, will be pan-governmental and cover public, voluntary and
business sectors. The workshop-centred programmes will focus on
specific policy issues and be supported by research, teaching
tools and a web-based community of interest. The choice of topics
to be addressed over the next year will be finalised after
consultation with stakeholders. Topics under consideration at
present include obesity, regional regeneration failures, systemic
risk aversion and aspects of corporate governance, as well as good
practice from the recent approaches to pension issues and the
animal disease outbreaks.
The RRAC has been asked to give its immediate attention to
considering how best to ensure that policy responses to the
frequent 'superbug' scares are timely, proportionate and effective.
Chair of the RRAC, Rick Haythornthwaite, commented: "The
regulatory reform agenda has evolved and creating the RRAC is a
natural progression from the achievements of the Better Regulation
Commission. The RRAC will look at the process of policy-making
from the outset to help improve regulatory decision-making at the
source. The prize on offer to all is very considerable -
accelerated improvement not only in regulatory burdens but also in
broader policy effectiveness and the management of everyday risks.
The BRC's Risk Report touched a nerve and put the spotlight
on the relationship between risk and regulation, acknowledging
that all parts of society are responsible for a disproportionate
attitude towards risk. The RRAC's work will involve
regulators, risk experts, Parliament, lobby groups, the media and
the public; it will not solely focus on government but also work
towards improving the quality of dialogue with the public on risk
issues. We accept the PM's challenge with enthusiasm."
The RRAC will be supported by a team reporting to Vicky Pryce,
Chief Economic Adviser and Director General of Economics at the
Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform as well
as Joint Head of the Government Economic Service.
Notes to Editors
1. Members of the RRAC:
* Rick Haythornthwaite, Chairman (Star Capital Partners)
*
Lynne Berry (WRVS)
* Philip Cullum (National Consumer
Council)
* Tim Heymann (Kingston Hospital)
* Lord Jamie
Lindsay (UKAS)
* Donald Macrae (Policy Reform Group)
*
Sarah Veale (Trades Union Congress)
2. Background
Machinery of Government Announcement June 2007 Better Regulation
Commission: "The Government believes that policy making would
benefit considerably from a fuller and more rounded consideration
of public risk. I have asked the Better Regulation Commission,
building on its report "Risk, Responsibility and
Regulation", to devise a structure and approach that ensures
that this ambition is embedded in real policy action, even when
facing pressures to react to events."
Better Regulation Commission reports available at http://www.brc.gov.uk:
Public Risk - The Next Frontier for Better Regulation
The Better Regulation Commission - Passing the baton
Risk, responsibility and regulation. Whose risk is it anyway?
The Better Regulation Commission will now be closed down.
3. Statements of Support
Brendan Barber, General Secretary, Trades Union Congress
"I am pleased to welcome this important initiative in which
the TUC will be fully involved. Effective regulation is a hallmark
of any civilised society that protects the weak and vulnerable
against the strong and powerful, but it is also important to get
the right balance between risk, regulation and liberty. The Risk
and Regulation Advisory Council will be well placed to assist in
improved policy making and better understanding of risk and regulation."
Richard Lambert, Director General, CBI
"The root causes of red tape and excessive regulation are
often to be found in poorly understood notions of public risk, and
in a culture of policy-making that calls for instant action in the
face of a tragic event or a perceived threat. The proposed Risk
and Regulation Advisory Council should provide a neutral forum
where evidence-based analysis and processes could lead to better
policy outcomes. As such, it is a very welcome initiative."
Lord Larry Whitty, Chair, National Consumer Council
"Effective regulation demands real understanding of how
organisations and individuals behave and a shared approach to the
management of risk. I welcome the creation of the Risk and
Regulation Advisory Council, as a way of creating a new, more open
debate about how our society should handle the risks we all face
every day. The National Consumer Council looks forward to
contributing to the work of this important body."
4. Contact details
An interim website for the RRAC is available at
http://www.berr.gov.uk/about/economics-statistics/rrac/index.html