OECD Reviews of Regulatory Reform Ser. : United Kingdom Challenges at the Cutting Edge

The United Kingdom has continuous reforms of the regulatory management system, the competition policy and law as well as in the regulatory regimes of key economic sectors which are a strong basis for ensuring high quality regulation contributing further to drive economic performance. The UK was early in liberalising its public utilities, in developing new regulatory approaches to the complex problems of managing the network industries and to introduce a system of regulatory impact assessment. The UK now faces challenges typical of a mature regulatory regime, complexity and diversity - of regulatory objectives, of the institutional architecture and of procedures - are major issues to be continuously monitored. The United Kingdom is one of many OECD countries to request a broad review by the OECD of its regulatory practices and reforms. This review presents an overall picture, set within a macroeconomic context, of regulatory achievements and challenges including the quality of the public sector, competition policy and market openness. It also assesses progress in the gas, electricity and telecommunications sectors. [From the OECD website]