Join us for an engaging and thought-provoking discussion with Dr Matthew Gill, Programme Director at the Institute for Government, as he presents the findings of a recent Institute for Government report on parliamentary scrutiny of regulators.

Matthew will delve into the key insights of his report, “Parliament and Regulators: How Select Committees Can Better Hold Regulators to Account.”

Key findings of the report include:

• Between the December 2019 general election and March 2024 – nearly the end of the current Parliament – less than a third of regulators (35 out of 116) attended a dedicated, routine select committee hearing to scrutinise their work as a whole.
• Another 35 regulators – almost a third – were not called before Parliament at all. This includes organisations such as Social Work England and the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA).

Given the growing public concern over regulatory failures, the report offers a set of recommendations to strengthen Parliament’s role in holding regulators to account, including:

• The government compiling – and maintaining – a public list of statutory regulators.
• The Liaison Committee reintroducing a core task focused on examining the work of regulators for departmental select committees.
• Relevant Commons select committees holding a general scrutiny session with each regulator at least once per Parliament. If this does not occur, the committee should provide an explanation.
• The establishment of a joint Commons/Lords Regulatory Oversight Support Unit (ROSU) in Parliament to offer expert support to both Commons and Lords committees.
• The National Audit Office (NAO) increasing its oversight of regulators, working closely with parliamentarians to identify how it can best meet their expectations.

Matthew will also provide insights into more recent developments in regulatory oversight under the current administration.

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the vital issue of regulatory scrutiny in Parliament!