Regulators' Code
A framework for how regulators should engage with those they regulate.
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The Regulators’ Code came into statutory effect on 6 April 2014 under the Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 and provides a clear, flexible and principles-based framework for how regulators should engage with those they regulate.
The regulators and regulatory functions to which the Regulators’ Code applies are specified in the Legislative and Regulatory Reform (Regulatory Functions) Order 2007, as amended in 2009, 2010 and 2014. Nearly all regulators, including local authorities and fire and rescue authorities, must have regard to it when developing policies and procedures that guide their regulatory activities.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards works to support the effective implementation of the Regulators’ Code.
The Legislative and Regulatory Reform Act 2006 was extended by the Enterprise Act 2016, requiring regulators other than local authorities to formally report on the effect that the Regulators’ Code has on the way they exercise their regulatory functions and the impacts of this on business. However, this additional obligation is not yet in force, and BEIS will engage with regulators before it is introduced.