Right-touch regulation

Right-touch regulation is the approach we apply in our work, and we encourage others to adopt it as well. It involves assessing the level of risk of harm to the public and deciding on the most proportionate and effective response to mitigate that risk - whether through regulation or other means.   

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What is right-touch regulation?

Right-touch regulation is a principles-based framework. It helps with deciding how best to protect the public by looking at the level of risk of harm and choosing the most effective and proportionate response, whether through regulation or other actions.

Find out more about the elements and principles that sit at the heart of right-touch regulation
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Read right-touch regulation

In 2025, we published an updated version of Right-touch regulation. First published in 2010, revised in 2015 and then 10 years later we believed the time was right to look at it again. The core principles remain the same, but we have expanded on areas and provided more clarity.

Read our most recent version of Right-touch regulation
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Right-touch related resources

We have created a slide-deck for stakeholders to use. If you are interested in using this, you can download the pdf and then let us know. We can then send you the original PowerPoint presentation.

Read through the right-touch regulation slide deck
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Right-touch related material

Read all our publications and material related to right-touch regulation.

Read right-touch related material