After three-and-a-half years it is time to move onto a new challenge and I am very pleased to be joining the Regulatory Policy Committee
Tony Pedrotti, RPC
Mr Pedrotti has been appointed as director of the Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC), a newly formed independent body tasked with providing “strong and effective external scrutiny throughout the policy making process”.
The organisation will have Michael Gibbons, who has held senior posts in the energy sector, as its chair and will undertake an advisory role, commenting on whether the government has been effective in minimising the costs and maximising the benefits across the full remit of government regulation, and will be based close to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills' (BIS) offices in London.
Mr Pedrotti's appointment comes in the wake of work on the WEEE rules which have proved controversial, seen legal challenges and open disagreement over implementation but were brought in with the UK exceeding its targets. And a significant court case was won by the Department for
Business this summer, which was seen as confirming that the challenge of delivering a WEEE system in the UK has been successfully achieved.
Prior to Mr Pedrotti's appointment in 2006 there was little agreement on how the UK should handle the producer responsibility requirement imposed by the European Union under the WEEE Directive. The government was under pressure to get the situation resolved and Mr Pedrotti was charged with sorting this out.
He told letsrecycle.com: “I joined this area in June 2006 with responsibility for producer responsibility, environmental legislation and technical product legislation. I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved and of my team that I have had the pleasure to work with.”
Mr Pedrotti continued: “We have a WEEE system that has been challenged in Parliament and in the courts and has passed those tests. It was never going to make everybody happy but nearly all now say that the system works.
“After three-and-a-half years it is time to move onto a new challenge and I am very pleased to be joining the Regulatory Policy Committee which will oversee and challenge, where necessary, all government departments to ensure that regulations are introduced in the most proportionate and effect way.”
Ramifications
The BIS official said that everyone had seen what the ramifications were in the case of WEEE, when they were delayed. “This caused problems for all concerned – people demanded certainty when I arrived – I believe that that is exactly what I gave them. Regulations such as the WEEE Regulations must not only protect the environment, but should be a catalyst as a challenge to business, to encourage innovation and investment and to create jobs.”
In terms of discussions over the WEEE system, which have caused many challenges, Mr Pedrotti said: “Undoubtedly, you are not going to please all the people all the time. We have tried to introduce a light touch to the regulations and did not want to adversely affect the local authority collection system. We wanted the market to adapt.
“Some people might not agree with our approach as they will be viewing the system from their narrower business focus, but at the Department we have had to balance all these concerns and take a wider perspective. I have enjoyed my time working with the many stakeholders I have met during my three years, and hope to have the opportunity to work closely with them again in the future.”
Turning to his team at BIS, Mr Pedrotti said: “The team should be proud of what they have achieved. It is far too easy to knock civil servants, but my team has consistently sought to represent and help UK businesses. We have produced good systems – our approach to end of life vehicles is now recognised as the best in Europe. It has been a pleasure working with them.”
As for any regrets about leaving the Department as WEEE beds in, Mr Pedrotti says: “The best time to leave is when you are still enjoying the work and you still have the enthusiasm, rather than becoming stale and I am looking forward to the challenge of the RPC.”
Subscribe for free