Regulatory Review Group Annual Report 2024-2025

Foreword from the Chair – Professor Russel Griggs OBE

Professor Russel Griggs OBE

This past year has been one of growth, collaboration, and practical impact for the Regulatory Review Group (RRG). Since our re-establishment in late 2023 under the New Deal for Business, the RRG has continued to build its role as a trusted, independent source of advice to Scottish Ministers and policy officials on the practical realities of regulation.

Our focus has remained clear: to support the creation of a regulatory environment in Scotland that is effective, proportionate, and developed in partnership with those who will be most affected. By engaging early in the policy development process, we have been able to identify potential implementation challenges before they become barriers, ensuring that regulation works in practice as well as in principle.

Over the past twelve months, we have scrutinised a wide range of proposals – from major pieces of legislation such as the Housing (Scotland) Bill and the Heat in Buildings agenda, to targeted measures on tobacco and vaping, consumer duty, and environmental protection. In each case, our advice has been grounded in evidence from across business, regulators, and consumer interests. I am particularly pleased that our recommendations on Minimum Unit Pricing and other high-profile policies have directly influenced decisions, resulting in more workable, deliverable outcomes.

The addition of observer members from the British Standards Institution (BSI) and the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) this year has strengthened our ability to explore alternatives to regulation, including the use of standards to achieve policy aims in a more flexible and proportionate way. This reflects our commitment to helping government consider a full range of options when developing policy.

Of course, our work does not take place in isolation. Economic pressures, political uncertainty, and the cumulative impact of multiple new regulations continue to present challenges for both business and government. These realities make our role and the wider aim of better regulation more important than ever.

Looking ahead, our priorities for 2025–26 include deepening our engagement with priority sectors, improving the way we measure the practical impact of regulation, and continuing to support culture change across government so that implementation thinking becomes embedded from the very start of policy design.

I want to thank my fellow members for their insight and commitment, and the secretariat for their tireless support. Most importantly, I want to acknowledge the constructive spirit in which government officials, Ministers, and stakeholders have engaged with us over the past year. It is through this collaboration that better regulation can be achieved, regulation that delivers for Scotland’s economy, its people, and its future.

Prof Russel Griggs OBE

Chair, Regulatory Review Group