Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 104: To ask the Taoiseach if the OECD peer review team has yet published its report on the Government's regulatory management capacity; if it has made the report available to the Government; and the key findings of the report. [40359/10]

Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The OECD Report on Better Regulation in Ireland was published today on the OECD website. It had been presented to Government in October to note its upcoming publication. The publication of the Report is being formally marked by a special conference organised by my Department in which the OECD will participate on 29th of this month.

The Report recognises the considerable progress made on the Better Regulation agenda since the original OECD review in 2001 which compares well with other EU countries. In particular, it commends the Better Regulation Unit (BRU) in my Department for its role as a highly active advocate of Better Regulation across Government and beyond. It acknowledges the BRU's role in raising awareness of the Better Regulation agenda and in the provision of supports for conducting Regulatory Impact Analysis. However, the report also identifies a need for greater engagement with the agenda across the Government system including a need for strong linkages between this agenda and economic renewal and public service transformation strategies.

There are a number of key areas which the report focuses on. With regard to the issue of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA), the OECD note that the Irish model and supports such as training, guidelines and helpdesk assistance compare well with those developed in other EU Member States. However, they also point out that the quality of RIAs require improvement together with more frequent publication. These issues are to be addressed by individual Ministers and their Departments. The report notes that while some work is underway to reduce administrative burdens on business considerable further effort will be required from all relevant Departments if the target of a 25% reduction by 2012 is to be made. The team acknowledged also that a good start had been made on addressing the issue of risk-based enforcement.

In addressing the issue of the accessibility of the law, the OECD note the complexity of the Irish legal system which makes a focus on accessibility all the more important. They stress the importance of maintaining a momentum on projects in this area in the face of tight resources. This includes, in particular, Statute Law Revision, Restatement, consolidation and the maintenance of the Statute Book. It is suggested that Local Authorities would be invited to take part in the administrative burden reduction programme. Enhanced consultation mechanisms between the national and local level are also suggested.

As part of its work on the implementation of the Government Statement on Economic Regulation of October 2009, the Senior Officials Group on Economic Regulation, which is chaired by my Department, will pursue the implementation of recommendations set out in the OECD report (from within existing resources).