Impact assessments

From November 2007 all Government Departments and Regulators are expected to apply the new central government guidance on Impact Assessments, published by the Better Regulation Executive.  The new guidance is an extension of HSE’s practice to consider the costs and benefits of new legislation, previously captured in a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) 

An Impact Assessment (IA) is a continuous process to help the policy-maker fully think through and understand the consequences of policy interventions in the public, private, charity and voluntary sectors.

It is a tool to enable the Government to weigh and present the relevant evidence on the positive and negative effects of such interventions, including by reviewing the impact of policies after they have been implemented.

Impact assessments are required for all new policy initiatives and interventions, both regulatory and non-regulatory, that are likely to have an impact on businesses, charities and the public sector.  Their preparation and publication ensure that those with an interest understand and can challenge:

• why the Government is proposing to intervene
• how and to what extent new policies may impact on them
• the estimated costs and benefits of proposed and actual measures

As the Government aims to intervene only when necessary and since most policy objectives can be achieved through a range of options, the Government’s aim is to identify proposals that best achieve its objectives while minimising costs and burdens.

This website includes copies of archived final RIAs and copies of final IAs,

For proposals that are currently open to consultation, the IAs can be accessed via the consultative document. 

Further information on IAs can be obtained from the main IA guidance page on the Better Regulation Executive website.