Regulatory Policy Committee

The Regulatory Policy Committee gave a red rating to the Ministry of Justice’s initial options assessment for reforming weddings law in England and Wales, judging the supporting evidence and analysis not fit for purpose. The Ministry submitted a revised assessment on 29 July 2026, which the RPC is reviewing; a further opinion will be published for transparency.

The Regulatory Policy Committee gave the Home Office’s impact assessment for the Immigration and Asylum Bill a red rating, concluding that the evidence and analysis supporting the need for regulation were not fit for purpose. The advisory rating does not assess the merits of the proposed policy or prevent the government from proceeding, but it is intended to inform ministerial decisions and parliamentary scrutiny.

The Regulatory Policy Committee gave the impact assessment for the Social Housing Bill a red rating, judging it not fit for purpose because the evidence and analysis did not adequately support the case for regulation. The assessment was prepared by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. The RPC stressed that its advisory rating concerns the quality of the impact assessment rather than the merits of the bill, and does not prevent the government from proceeding with legislation.

The Regulatory Policy Committee gave a green, fit-for-purpose rating to the Insolvency Service’s post-implementation review of the Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Act 2021. The legislation expanded the Insolvency Service’s investigative and disqualification powers to cover former directors of dissolved companies. The committee’s assessment concerns the quality of the review’s evidence and analysis, rather than the merits of the policy itself.