Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Regulatory 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. In April 2010 a new Impact Assessment template was launched and the guidance and toolkit to accompany it was revised. The main change is the introduction of a more detailed Post Implementation Review section. Other changes are mainly technical in respect of how the electronic template works and how development of the IA is captured to allow for publication at various stages. HSE was involved in the revision and is signed up to using impact assessments to achieve evidence based policy.
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:
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.