Clause 17
Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [Lords]
12:15 pm
Pat McFadden (Minister of State (Employment Relations and Postal Affairs), Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform; Wolverhampton South East, Labour)
It is often said when we establish new bodies that we should include some kind of mechanism to review how they operate, and that is what the clause does.
The Government’s impact assessment process requires that all new policies be reviewed to establish their actual costs and benefits and the extent to which the aim behind them has been achieved. The clause commits us to carrying out such a review after three years. It places that commitment on a statutory footing and requires the Secretary of State to review LBRO’s discharge of its functions three years after part 1 of the Bill comes into force. The review should consider whether LBRO is discharging its functions effectively and the extent to which it has attained its policy objective.
Again, the Secretary of State must consult Welsh Ministers and such other persons as he considers appropriate when he conducts the review. The clause is prudent, and it is correct to include it when establishing a new body of this type.