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  "path": "/2026/02/27/why-the-rpc-matters-because-independent-scrutiny-improves-uk-regulation/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-27T09:48:31.000Z",
  "site": "https://rpc.blog.gov.uk",
  "tags": [
    "why the RPC matters for growth",
    "why the RPC matters for business",
    "the importance of the RPC for Parliament",
    "the value of the RPC for the UK’s international reputation, for inward investment and for international trade"
  ],
  "textContent": "This is the final post in our series answering the simple but important question: why does the Regulatory Policy Committee matter?\n\nIn previous posts we explored:\n\n  * why the RPC matters for growth – how well-designed regulation boosts investment and promotes growth – so that Britain can be “the best place to start a business, grow a business, run a successful business and work in a thriving business, anywhere in Europe”\n  * why the RPC matters for business – with leaders from across sectors: from manufacturing to hospitality and from small and medium sized enterprises to major corporations valuing the role that the RPC plays and seeing it as vital to ensuring that regulation works for them\n  * the importance of the RPC for Parliament**** – how RPC scrutiny reassures MPs about the robustness of the analysis underpinning regulatory proposals and warns them when the evidence base is weak and further parliamentary scrutiny may be required\n  * the value of the RPC for the UK’s international reputation, for inward investment and for international trade – how the RPC’s role is central to the high ranking of the UK’s regulatory framework and how that is important for trading partners and inward investors\n\n\n\nThis final post shows how the RPC has raised the quality of evidence and analysis underpinning regulatory proposals and thereby improved UK regulation.\n\n## Raising the quality of impact assessments\n\nMore than 30% of impact assessments (IAs) submitted to the RPC are initially rated “not fit for purpose”, meaning that there are major concerns about the quality of the evidence or analysis presented - for example relating to the rationale for regulation, options assessment or small and micro business assessment.\n\nWhen this happens, the RPC provides detailed feedback and works with the department to address the weaknesses. As a result, the proportion of deficient IAs falls to below 5%**** by the time they are finalised.\n\nThat improvement reflects the value of independent scrutiny - and raises an important question:\n\n> what would the quality of regulatory analysis look like without RPC scrutiny?\n\n## Strengthening post-implementation evaluation\n\nRegulation should not end when it is introduced. It should be evaluated to determine whether it is working correctly, whether it is having any unintended consequences and if it is achieving its intended objectives.\n\nBefore the RPC began actively monitoring and publishing data on departmental performance, more than 40% of regulations**** were not being evaluated as planned.\n\nBy publishing this data and securing commitments from departments to improve their performance, the RPC has helped drive a huge reduction in missed evaluations - strengthening accountability and improving regulatory effectiveness across government.\n\n## Improving the analysis of free trade agreements\n\nFree trade agreements (FTAs) are central to the UK’s post-Brexit trading arrangements. Yet the initial impact assessments submitted for review often emphasised potential opportunities while giving insufficient attention to costs, risks and the levels of uncertainty in the estimates.\n\nThe RPC worked closely with trade analysts in the Department for Business and Trade (and previously the Department for International Trade) to ensure that final FTA IAs present a more balanced assessment — transparently setting out both the benefits and potential downsides of the FTA. The result was analysis that better summarised the impacts of the trade agreement and was more useful to decision makers and stakeholders alike.\n\n## Independent scrutiny improves UK regulation\n\nBy challenging weak analysis, promoting evaluation and insisting on balance, the RPC has improved the quality, credibility and transparency of the UK’s regulatory decision making and the effectiveness of our regulations.",
  "title": "Why the RPC matters – because independent scrutiny improves UK regulation",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-27T09:48:37.000Z"
}