Following an open competition, Stephen Gibson has been named as the government’s preferred candidate to the post of Chair of the Regulatory Policy Committee.
The Secretary of State has invited the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee to hold a pre-appointment hearing and to report on Mr Gibson’s suitability for the post. This is in line with the government’s commitment to strengthen the role of Parliament in scrutinising major public appointments.
Pre-appointment hearings enable select committees to take evidence from preferred candidates for major public appointments before they are appointed. Hearings are in public and involve the select committee publishing a report setting out their views on the candidate’s suitability for the post. Pre-appointment hearings are non-binding but ministers will consider the committee’s views before deciding whether to proceed with an appointment.
The Regulatory Policy Committee is an independent body, sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The Regulatory Policy Committee assesses the quality of evidence and analysis used to inform regulatory proposals affecting the economy, businesses, civil society, charities and other non-government organisations. Its independent advice and scrutiny helps ensure that ministerial policy decisions are based on accurate evidence, and helps to produce better regulation.
Mr Gibson has over 25 years’ experience as a professional economist across a range of regulated sectors including post, water, ports, rail, aviation, energy, broadcasting, advertising and telecoms, working as a consultant and from both sides of the regulatory fence. In 2011 he set up SLG Economics, a consultancy providing expert regulatory and competition economics advice to regulators, regulated companies and consumer bodies.
Mr Gibson is a Member and current Interim Chair of the Regulatory Policy Committee and Director of SLG Economics. He is also a Member of the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) Senior Advisory Board advising on the regulatory framework for Heathrow and NATS and is on the expert panel for ICCAN (the Independent Committee on Civil Aviation Noise). He also lectures in economics at Birkbeck University. Stephen’s previous roles include: Chief Economist at Postcomm, Interim Chief Economist at Ofwat, Principal Economist at Ofcom and Deputy Chair of Bowel Cancer UK.
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