Regulatory Reform Act 2001

Last updated

Regulatory Reform Act 2001
Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (Variant 1, 2022).svg
Long title An Act to enable provision to be made for the purpose of reforming legislation which has the effect of imposing burdens affecting persons in the carrying on of any activity and to enable codes of practice to be made with respect to the enforcement of restrictions, requirements or conditions.
Citation 2001 c.6
Dates
Royal assent 4 April 2001
Commencement 4 April 2001 [1]
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Regulatory Reform Act 2001 (c.6) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It replaced the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994. It removed some of the constraints on Deregulation Orders under the 1994 Act, by providing wider powers for government ministers to make a Regulatory Reform Order by statutory instrument.

Contents

The Act was introduced to the House of Lords on 7 December 2000, and passed to the House of Commons on 19 March 2001. It passed its Report Stage and Third Reading on 4 April 2001.

Under the 2001 Act, a government minister can make a Regulatory Reform Order to "[reform] legislation which has the effect of imposing burdens", with a view to removing or reducing the regulatory burdens. The Act can only be used to reform existing legislation, so cannot be used to codify the common law, and can only be used where burdens are removed (although, unlike the 1994 Act, new burdens can also be imposed where proportional). An Order cannot be used to remove "necessary protections". The draft Order must be opened to public consultation, reviewed by Committees from both Houses of Parliament, and then approved by both Houses of Parliament. However, they are not debated on the floor of either chamber, unlike a Bill.

The Act provided for four Deregulation Orders that were moving through the approval process to be completed. Between enactment in April 2001 and July 2005, the Act was used to pass 27 Regulatory Reform Orders. For example, to make orders to remove restrictions on business tenancies; to liberalise rules on gaming machines; to extend licensing hours for New Year's Eve 2001; and, for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, to remove the 20-partner limit on partnerships, and to rationalise legislation on fire safety.

The Act has been largely replaced by the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006. The Act expands the range of ministerial order-making powers, allowing orders to be made in a wider range of circumstances, more quickly and efficiently, with less consultation and scrutiny.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Lords</span> Upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest institutions in the world, its origins lie in the early 11th century and the emergence of bicameralism in the 13th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Parliament</span> Devolved parliament of Scotland

The Scottish Parliament is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyrood. The Parliament is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), elected for five-year terms under the regionalised form of additional member system (MMP): 73 MSPs represent individual geographical constituencies elected by the plurality (first-past-the-post) system, while a further 56 are returned as list members from eight additional member regions. Each region elects seven party-list MSPs. Each region elects 15 to 17 MSPs in total. The most recent general election to the Parliament was held on 6 May 2021, with the Scottish National Party winning a plurality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deregulation</span> Remove or reduce state regulations

Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a result of new trends in economic thinking about the inefficiencies of government regulation, and the risk that regulatory agencies would be controlled by the regulated industry to its benefit, and thereby hurt consumers and the wider economy. Economic regulations were promoted during the Gilded Age, in which progressive reforms were claimed as necessary to limit externalities like corporate abuse, unsafe child labor, monopolization, pollution, and to mitigate boom and bust cycles. Around the late 1970s, such reforms were deemed burdensome on economic growth and many politicians espousing neoliberalism started promoting deregulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statutory instrument (UK)</span> Type of secondary legislation in the United Kingdom

A statutory instrument (SI) is the principal form in which delegated legislation is made in Great Britain.

A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state such as the president of a republic, or a monarch, according to certain procedures. It has the force of law. The particular term used for this concept may vary from country to country. The executive orders made by the President of the United States, for example, are decrees.

Delegated legislation or secondary legislation in the United Kingdom is law that is not enacted by a legislative assembly such as the UK Parliament, but made by a government minister, a delegated person or an authorised body under powers given to them by an Act of Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, intended to deal with the Law Lords' ruling of 16 December 2004 that the detention without trial of eight foreigners at HM Prison Belmarsh under Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 was unlawful, being incompatible with European human rights laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 (LRRA) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was enacted to replace the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 (RRA). The Act was and remains very controversial, because of a perception that it is an Enabling Act substantially removing the ancient British constitutional restriction on the Executive introducing and altering laws without assent or scrutiny by Parliament, and it has been called the "Abolition of Parliament Act".

The Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee is a committee of UK parliamentarians. Members are drawn from the House of Lords. The committee has several primary functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish statutory instrument</span> Type of law in Scotland

A Scottish statutory instrument is subordinate legislation made by the Scottish Ministers, as well as subordinate legislation made by public bodies using powers provided to be exercisable by Scottish statutory instrument. SSIs are the main form of subordinate legislation in Scotland, being used by default to exercise powers delegated to the Scottish Ministers, the Lord Advocate, the High Court of Justiciary, the Court of Session, and the Queen-in-Council.

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada is an agency of the Government of Canada that enforces consumer protection legislation, regulations and industry commitments by federally regulated financial entities. It also provides programs and information to help consumers understand their rights and responsibilities when dealing with financial institutions and promotes financial literacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architects Act 1997</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Architects Act 1997 is the consolidating Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for the keeping and publishing of the statutory Register of Architects by the Architects Registration Board. It has the long title: An Act to consolidate the enactments relating to architects. It consolidated two Acts of the 1930s as later amended both by primary legislation and by Orders in Council implementing the EC directive on architects providing for the recognition of architects qualified in other EC states, and the changes which had been made by Part III of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.

In many countries, a statutory instrument is a form of delegated legislation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 is an Act of Parliament. It introduced wide-ranging measures with aims including reducing burdern on people in trade created by previous Acts such as the Shops Act 1950, changes in transport legislation, changes in utility legislation, changes in financial services among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statutory rules of Northern Ireland</span>

The statutory rules of Northern Ireland are the principal form in which delegated legislation is made in Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Act of Parliament (UK)</span> Primary legislation in the United Kingdom

An Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is primary legislation passed by the UK Parliament in Westminster, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local and personal acts of Parliament (United Kingdom)</span>

Private acts are laws in the United Kingdom which apply to a particular individual or group of individuals, or corporate entity. This contrasts with a public general Act of Parliament (statute) which applies to the nation-state. Private acts can afford relief from another law; grant a unique benefit or, grant powers not available under the general law; or, relieve someone from legal responsibility for some allegedly wrongful act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Act of the Scottish Parliament</span> Acts passed by the devolved Scottish Parliament

An act of the Scottish Parliament is primary legislation made by the Scottish Parliament. The power to create acts was conferred to the Parliament by section 28 of the Scotland Act 1998 following the successful 1997 referendum on devolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bus Regulatory Reform Act</span> Deregulation of bus industry in 1982


The Bus Regulatory Reform Act of 1982 was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on September 20, 1982. The law contained provisions considered "deregulatory" of the bus industry, representing the largest legislation of regulatory reform since 1935.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015</span> United Kingdom legislation

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, also referred to as SBEE, received Royal Assent in March 2015. Its contents include regulatory reform, public sector procurement and company director disqualification issues.

References

  1. The Act came into force on the date of royal assent because no other date was specified.