Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 to 6, inclusive, together.

As regards the OECD report, I refer Deputies to previous answers where I have explained that many of its recommendations related to specific sectoral issues. I said the appropriate Ministers with responsibility for those sectoral areas are reporting directly to the House on progressing the OECD recommendations.

I have also explained that one of the key recommendations of the OECD report was the development of a national policy on better regulation. In January 2004, the Government published the White Paper, Regulating Better. The White Paper sets out six core principles of better regulation and a detailed action plan on how these principles will be translated in terms of how we design, implement and review legislation and regulations. Accordingly, it is the White Paper which contains the thrust of our efforts on regulatory reform, rather than the original OECD report.

Progress has been made in a number of key areas set out in the White Paper, including: the establishment of a better regulation group to oversee the implementation of the commitments and action plan arising from the White Paper; greater clarity and accessibility to legislation through a rolling programme of statute law revision; the development and publication last July of guidelines on consultation to assist not only those public servants who may be running consultation processes, but also those parties who may be interested in participating in consultation processes; and the introduction in June this year of regulatory impact analysis, RIA.

Many of our EU partners and the European Commission have had various models of RIA in place for several years. The introduction of RIA in Ireland was a key commitment in the White Paper. We have adopted a model of RIA that has been tailored — following a pilot process — to take account of Ireland's regulatory environment and best practice elsewhere.

RIA is an assessment of the likely effects of a proposed new regulation or regulatory change. It involves a detailed analysis to ascertain whether a proposed new regulation will have the desired impact. It also helps to identify any unintended effects or hidden costs associated with regulation. Impact assessment is widely recognised as an important means of achieving better regulation, by improving the quality of analysis and consultation that takes place before decisions are made.

Following a Government decision on 21 June this year, RIA is now to be applied to all new proposals for primary legislation that involve changes to the regulatory framework and to significant statutory instruments as well as to draft EU directives and significant EU draft regulations when these are published. The latter will contribute to Ireland's negotiating position on proposed EU legislation, by highlighting effects and costs that could have particular implications for the State.

Better regulation is one aspect of the wider public service modernisation programme and my Department has lead responsibility for supporting and progressing implementation of the better regulation agenda. My Department was involved in the development of the Irish model of regulatory impact analysis and chaired the steering group of Departments that piloted the RIA model. The findings of the steering group and the experiences of the pilot process were central to the decision by Government to introduce RIA across all Departments and Government offices from 21 June this year. There are many benefits to RIA and these are clearly set out in the report on the introduction of regulatory impact analysis, published by my Department in July.

While responsibility for conducting a regulatory impact analysis falls to the relevant Departments considering the introduction of legislation, or which may have lead responsibility in specific sectoral areas, my Department is providing support and advice in this regard.

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