Regulatory Impact Assessment
Regulations can safeguard people and property, boost the economy and protect the environment, but they can also impose an administrative burden and significant costs, particularly on small businesses. Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIA sometimes referred to as a Regulatory Impact Analysis) were introduced by government in response to these concerns.
Government departments and agencies proposing new regulations, or amendments to existing regulations, prepare a Regulatory Impact Assessment which assesses its likely impact. They explain the objective of the proposed regulation, its likely costs, risks and benefits. Changes should only be introduced when other alternatives have first been considered and rejected and where the benefits justify the burdens.
In a report to Parliament in 2001, Better Regulation: Making Good Use of Regulatory Impact Assessments, Sir John Bourn, Head of the National Audit Office (NAO) suggested that RIAs had contributed to better policy making and reduced costs to business but that there was room for improvement. He suggested three factors which characterised good RIAs:
- Starting early.
- Consulting effectively.
- Analysing costs and benefits appropriately.
It was proposed that policy makers should evaluate a range of options (including not regulating) and encourage self-regulation where feasible.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
A safe energy transition – ECA launches a new Charter
Practical policy actions to speed up low carbon adoption while maintaining installation safety and competency.
Frank Duffy: Researcher and Practitioner
Reflections on achievements and relevance to the wider research and practice communities.
The 2026 Compliance Landscape: Fire doors
Why 'Business as Usual' is a Liability.
Cutting construction carbon footprint by caring for soil
Is construction neglecting one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores and one of our greatest natural climate allies.
ARCHITECTURE: How's it progressing?
Archiblogger posing questions of a historical and contextual nature.
The roofscape of Hampstead Garden Suburb
Residents, architects and roofers need to understand detailing.
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.
Level 6 Design, Construction and Management BSc
CIOB launches first-ever degree programme to develop the next generation of construction leaders.
Open for business as of April, with its 2026 prospectus and new pipeline of housing schemes.
The operational value of workforce health
Keeping projects moving. Incorporating unplanned absence and the importance of health, in operations.
A carbon case for indigenous slate
UK slate can offer clear embodied carbon advantages.
Costs and insolvencies mount for SMEs, despite growth
Construction sector under insolvency and wage bill pressure in part linked to National Insurance, says report.