Government • 8 mins read
UKAS was delighted to host its House of Lords reception on Tuesday 17 December 2024.
This annual event represents an opportunity for UKAS to connect with colleagues across government, industry, professional bodies and its member organisations.
The British Standards Institution, BSI, and the National Physical Laboratory, NPL, partnered with UKAS to showcase how the tools of the National Quality Infrastructure can support better regulation, the reception’s theme of better regulation. This theme explored how accreditation, standards and metrology underpin market frameworks and support regulation across the economy and public services, promoting innovation, safety and international trade.
Lord Lindsay, UKAS Chair, and Marcial Boo, Chair of the Institute of Regulation, used their remarks to highlight how better regulation can further utilise these tools to minimise unnecessary compliance burdens on businesses and support economic growth, whilst maintaining necessary consumer and environmental protections. During his speech, Lord Jamie Lindsay provided a reflection on the successes and challenges of 2024, emphasising the importance of accreditation in supporting better regulation, public safety and economic growth. The event, initially planned for June but postponed due to the General Election, offered an opportunity to review key developments across the year.
Lord Lindsay highlighted the publication of the Phase 2 Grenfell Tower Inquiry report, which underscored critical lessons for the construction, testing, inspection and certification industries. UKAS’s ongoing Programme PACE, initiated in 2022, continues to address these findings, reinforcing its commitment to rigor and technical excellence.
In 2024, UKAS advanced its operational capabilities by leveraging new technologies to improve customer interaction and enhance the delivery of the national accreditation service.
Extensive stakeholder engagement has bolstered UKAS’s adaptability to market and political developments. Lord Lindsay acknowledged constructive discussions with government representatives, citing support for the Data Use and Access Bill, the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill and efforts to reduce trade barriers, particularly with the EU.
A central theme of the address was the role of accreditation in fostering intelligent regulation. By integrating market-based mechanisms and the expertise of the UK’s National Quality Infrastructure, government can encourage innovation and investment while maintaining and enhancing robust consumer and public protections. Accreditation provides confidence in the competence and integrity of conformity assessment bodies. Lord Lindsay emphasised how regulatory frameworks can utilise this in support of industry decarbonisation, climate accountability and the rollout of emerging technologies. For example, accreditation can underpin confidence in the credibility of sustainability actions and the consistent use of best practice standards in the deployment of new technologies. He also highlighted the value of designing regulatory frameworks in reference to international standards, supporting export opportunities for businesses and confidence in the UK’s regulatory environment.
In closing, Lord Lindsay expressed gratitude to the Regulation Directorate at the Department for Business and Trade for their collaboration and support in advancing UKAS’s mission.
Full transcript of Lord Lindsay’s address to the UKAS House of Lords reception, Tuesday 17 October 2024
“Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you to UKAS’s annual reception, here at the House of Lords.
It is a delight to see so many new and familiar faces
I must extend a warm welcome on behalf of the British Standards Institution, BSI, and the National Physical Laboratory, NPL, who are partnering with us for today’s reception.
More pertinent to today’s theme, BSI and NPL are UKAS’s partners at the heart of the UK’s National Quality Infrastructure.
As some of you will recall, we were due to hold this event in June but postponed due to the General Election being called.
Hosting this important reception now, at the end of the year, allows us to reflect on the successes and challenges of 2024.
This year saw the publication of the phase 2 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
We welcomed the report, which detailed important learnings for both the construction and testing, inspection and certification industry.
Like many others, UKAS continues to study the report’s findings and recommendations.
Programme PACE, a series of workstreams that ensures UKAS is learning all relevant lessons from the tragedy, began in 2022 and continues today.
UKAS is committed to further embedding rigour and technical excellence across all our activities.
2024 has also seen UKAS make great strides in further enhancing operational delivery.
By using new technologies to streamline and improve the customer interface, UKAS is ensuring it delivers a national accreditation service that is not only fit for today, but also meets the needs of tomorrow in building a safe, secure and sustainable future.
This ambition has been demonstrated by the extensive stakeholder engagement across the past year.
We continue to respond to market and political developments, working with government departments, regulators and industry colleagues to provide accreditation services wherever they are needed and are in the public interest.
Constructive conversations with government colleagues, many of whom I am delighted are with us today, include support for the Data Use and Access Bill, which aims to increase trust in and acceptance of digital identities across the UK, the Product Regulation the Metrology Bill, which aims to modernise and strengthen the UK’s product regulation framework, and the Government’s efforts to reduce technical barriers to trade, especially between the UK and the EU.
More importantly, in the context of better regulation, our dialogue with government also includes utilising accreditation and the NQI to support the government’s focus on delivering economic growth.
An intelligent regulatory framework can purposefully facilitate investment and innovation alongside providing necessary protections to consumers and the public interest.
Better regulation can deploy market-based mechanisms, underpinned by the tools of the UK’s national quality infrastructure.
These mechanisms are well understood by business and provide government with confidence that robust technical standards are being consistently met.
For example, businesses may be required to demonstrate they are meeting industry best practice.
To do this, they may use a certification, verification or another type of conformity assessment service provided by a conformity assessment body.
The confidence in the competence and integrity of these bodies comes through their accreditation, awarded by National Accreditation Bodies with international recognition, such as UKAS.
This system of market-based assurance supports regulation that is agile, proportionate and responsive to technological developments.
To achieve better regulation, it is vital that we harness existing best practice and utilise the expertise of our world leading, government-appointed bodies for quality.
Indeed, the UK’s quality infrastructure already runs right across the economy and public services, whether it is food safety, NHS diagnostic testing or the competence of forensic science providers.
And it can go further still.
It can support market and consumer confidence in the quality and effectiveness of industry decarbonisation.
Climate accountability and credible sustainability actions are vital to competitive industrial activity.
Technical standards, underpinned by accredited certification or verification, are a key enabler of the successful implementation of robust and effective net zero and clean energy policies.
Additionally, standards and accreditation can support the better regulation of new and emerging technologies.
Regulatory interventions that seek to safeguard the use and diffusion of technology can refer to best practice standards and to accreditation, which provides confidence in the bodies assessing compliance with these important practical requirements.
Both clean energy and technology are built into the government’s industrial strategy green paper.
The UK’s national quality infrastructure will be an important partner in the delivery of an industrial activity that enables growth.
We must also recognise the importance of embedding international operability into regulation.
Here, governments can regulate in reference to international standards and globally recognised means of assuring these are met.
This taps into the global quality infrastructure, reducing the need for duplicate testing, evaluation or certification, and therefore increasing export opportunities, especially for small businesses.
This ‘tested once, accepted everywhere’ philosophy is also vital to global supply chains.
Regulatory frameworks that recognise this international system also promote a stable environment for investment, providing businesses with certainty and familiarity in market frameworks.
I must extend my sincere thanks to colleagues at the Regulation Directorate within the Department for Business and Trade.
I am pleased that UKAS has such a close working relationship with them, and they have offered significant support to today’s reception.
Unfortunately, as you may have heard, Minister Justin Madders MP, will no longer be addressing today’s reception due to being called away to a Bill Committee.
I am however extremely grateful to Marcial Boo, Chair of the Institute for Regulation, for agreeing to address the reception this afternoon.
UKAS is an associate member of the Institute, which aims to promote knowledge sharing and best practice to provide a framework for policy innovation, collaboration and improved public services.
As I am sure you will agree, this important work could not align more closely with the theme of today’s reception, better regulation.
Please do take the opportunity this afternoon to speak with Marcial and his colleagues about the work of the Institute.
I also encourage you to speak to BSI and NPL staff and of course my UKAS colleagues.
They stand ready to offer their expertise and support wherever possible.
On behalf of the whole UKAS team, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to collaborating in 2025.”