We questioned Ofcom, the Environment Agency and the HSE on the extent to which they are able to capture the cost of their regulations on their sectors. Ofcom told us it is stepping up its efforts to measure its impact since this committee’s 2019 report. But it also set out the challenges that regulators face in measuring costs and benefits when their focus is often on reducing risk, where it can be difficult to determine what would have happened if the regulator had not acted.27 The Environme...

We questioned Ofcom, the Environment Agency and the HSE on the extent to which they are able to capture the cost of their regulations on their sectors. Ofcom told us it is stepping up its efforts to measure its impact since this committee’s 2019 report. But it also set out the challenges that regulators face in measuring costs and benefits when their focus is often on reducing risk, where it can be difficult to determine what would have happened if the regulator had not acted.27 The Environment Agency does not have a figure for the overall cost to industry of its regulation, but it has a goal to reduce costs year on year and when it makes sig Type: conclusion | Number: 14 | Response status: not_addressed