Institute of Regulation's Podcast

In this episode of the Institute of Regulation podcast, host Marcial Boo explores the concept of oversight regulation with Monisha Shah, Chair of the Legal Services Board (LSB), and Alan Clamp, Chief Executive of the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Oversight regulation regulates regulators, assessing the effectiveness of frontline regulators and helping to ensure they work well and act in the public interest.

The discussion highlights how the UK's leading oversight regulators, the PSA oversees health and social care regulators, while the LSB oversees legal services regulators in England and Wales. Both aim to improve regulatory performance, protect consumers, and strengthen public confidence in regulatory systems.

Alan Clamp explains the PSA’s “Right-Touch Regulation” approach, which emphasises proportionate, risk-based interventions, using the least regulation necessary to achieve desired outcomes. He argues that good regulators understand risk, rely more on guidance and engagement than enforcement, and focus on preventing harm rather than responding after it has occurred.

Monisha Shah describes the LSB’s performance assessment framework, which evaluates regulators’ leadership, regulatory approach, and operational effectiveness. She stresses that oversight should support improvement while reserving formal powers for situations involving serious consumer harm or persistent regulatory failings.

They conclude that oversight regulation provides valuable independent scrutiny, encourages consistency, and enables regulators to identify common risks and opportunities. However, they acknowledge their limitations, including complex governance arrangements and restricted powers. Looking ahead, both emphasise the importance of collaboration, data sharing, investment in skills and technology, and developing regulatory approaches capable of addressing emerging challenges such as artificial intelligence.

This podcast introduces the concept of regulatory stewardship, widely used in New Zealand and Australia but less familiar in Europe. The Institute of Regulation Chair, Marcial Boo, speaks with Keith Manch and Adam Slater about what stewardship means in practice and how it supports effective, proportionate and fair regulatory systems.

The discussion highlights practical lessons for regulators in the UK, Ireland and beyond, including mapping the wider regulatory system, strengthening networks, improving collaboration between policy and delivery teams, building feedback mechanisms, and training staff to understand not only how regulation works but why it matters.

The podcast's central message is that regulation should be viewed as a living system that requires continuous care, learning and adaptation. Strong stewardship depends on collaboration, evidence, public trust and a sustained focus on outcomes.

The 40th episode of the Regulation Podcast marks an important milestone for the Institute of Regulation. This month, Marcial Boo speaks with Baroness Dianne Hayter about the recently published House of Lords Industry and Regulators Committee report she oversaw on how regulation affects UK economic growth. This episode continues our commitment to bringing timely discussions with front‑line decision‑makers, leading professionals, and sector experts.
Drawing on her strong consumer‑focused background, Baroness Hayter explores how regulation can both enable and constrain growth. Effective regulation, she notes, builds trust, stability, and market confidence, while slow or outdated processes risk holding back innovation and investment. Her report argues that the government plays a crucial role in shaping outcomes by setting clear priorities, updating outdated laws, and providing political backing so regulators can take proportionate risks without fear of criticism when issues arise.
The conversation also highlights the need for regulators to improve performance by working more collaboratively, speeding up decision-making, using technology more effectively, and simplifying processes for businesses. Hayter criticises narrow policy measures like administrative cost reduction targets for focusing on paperwork rather than real compliance burdens. She stresses that regulators must remain independent but more consistently focused on end users—consumers, patients, and citizens—rather than just the industries they oversee.
Overall, UK regulation is seen as strong and respected, but in need of better coordination, clearer direction, and a sharper focus on public benefit to remain effective.

In this month’s podcast, IoR chair Marcial Boo speaks with the three winners of this year’s regulation awards:
Eilidh Byer — North Sea Transition Authority, Rising Star Award (individual) for creating data‑standardisation tools and dashboards for offshore oil and gas regulation.
Nicola Edwards — Intelligence Team, Office for Environmental Protection, Innovation Award (team) for developing an intelligence‑management system and horizon‑scanning process to strengthen evidence‑based decision‑making.
Tim Byrom — Gambling Harms Team, Care Quality Commission, Collaboration Award (team) for working with charities and the Gambling Commission to reduce gambling harms and pilot a new inspection framework.
The winners agreed that effective regulation depends on strong data, collaboration, and adaptability. Despite challenges such as limited resources and complex systems, regulators can improve outcomes by working together, using evidence well, and continually learning. They encouraged others to draw on internal expertise, collaborate across teams, and engage widely. Small ideas can grow quickly when tested and refined.

In this month’s Regulation Podcast, Institute Chair Marcial Boo speaks with John Fingleton - Chair, Fingleton, and Chris Carr - Policy and Regulation Specialist, about the state of UK regulation and how it needs to evolve.
They argue that while UK regulation is often well‑designed, the system as a whole is overgrown, fragmented and risk‑averse. Without bold political and legislative reform, the UK risks continued barriers to growth, infrastructure delivery and effective decision‑making. Meaningful reform requires honest debate about risk, major changes to legislative practice and periodic zero‑based reviews of regulators and frameworks.
Regulators also have a role to play: strengthening their skills mix, bringing in more business experience, focusing processes on outcomes, speeding up decisions and working more collaboratively, while recognising that deeper change depends on political culture.
Keywords: UK regulation, regulatory reform, economic growth, regulatory governance