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Impact assessment

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26.16An impact assessment—an analysis of the likely impact of a range of possible options for implementing a change in policy—is produced by the appropriate department for any government bill or draft bill which may have a significant impact on business, voluntary organisations or the environment. The impact assessment is published by the department and is not a parliamentary paper. It is revised to reflect changes made to the bill during its passage through Parliament. The topics with which an impact assessment deals include the regulatory burden, competition, small firms, legal aid, sustainable development, carbon emissions, wider environmental matters, health and wellbeing, human rights and justice, and rural matters. There is a legal obligation on Ministers to have regard to their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 in connection with government bills.1 In some instances, for particular bills, the department might choose to set out their responsibilities in an equality impact assessment, which deals with potential implications for people with protected characteristics. Impact assessments are published by the department and are not a parliamentary paper.2

Footnotes

  1. 1. Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation, para 14.
  2. 2. HC Deb (11 September 2013) 567, c 1002.