Quality assurance requirements
The purpose of quality assurance
The purpose of independent QA of RISs is to provide assurance to Cabinet that it is making decisions on the basis of the best possible advice. It does this by requiring that an appropriate person (someone who is not responsible for producing the RIS) has considered whether the analysis and information summarised in the RIS is of a sufficient standard to properly inform the decisions being taken. The reviewer's assessment is summarised in a formal statement that is included in the Cabinet paper accompanying the RIS.
Background to the current requirements
“Self-assessment” of RISs has been a feature of the RIA regime for some time. In 2009 Cabinet agreed to a number of changes to the system, which included strengthening the incentives on agencies to follow best practice RIA processes and to take responsibility for the quality of their analysis.
QA criteria
The criteria for assessing the RIS are the same regardless of whether the QA is provided by RIAT or the agency. These criteria are provided in Annex A: Quality assurance criteria.
QA statement
The reviewer (whether RIAT or the agency) will provide a formal statement for inclusion in the Regulatory Impact Analysis section of the Cabinet paper. As required by Cabinet (and set out in the CabGuide), this statement is referred to as a “government agency opinion on the quality of the analysis”. A template statement is provided here.
