List of regulators in the United Kingdom

The following is a list of regulators in the UK. Regulators exercise regulatory or supervisory authority over a variety of endeavours.

In addition, local authorities in the UK provide regulatory functions in a number of areas. Professional associations also act to regulate their memberships. The UK is also bound by a number of European and other trans-national regulators, not listed here.

Charities

• Charity Commission for England and Wales
• Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
• Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator

Education

England

• Ofqual – Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation
• Ofsted – Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills in England
• Office for Students (OfS)
• Teaching Regulation Agency

Northern Ireland

• Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment
• Education and Training Inspectorate
• General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland

Scotland

• Education Scotland
• General Teaching Council for Scotland
• Scottish Qualifications Authority

Wales

• Education Workforce Council
• Estyn - The education and training inspectorate for Wales^[1]
• Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
• Qualifications Wales

Environment

• Environment Agency (EA)
• Marine and Fisheries Division
• Marine Directorate
• Marine Management Organisation (MMO)
• Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
• Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)

Business and finance

• Bank of England
• Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
  • The Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS)^[2]
• Financial Reporting Council, expected to be replaced by the Audit, Reporting and Governance Authority in 2023
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
• Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies (ORCIC)
• Payment Systems Regulator (PSR)
• Pensions Regulator
• Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA)

Health

• Care Quality Commission (CQC)
• Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
• General Chiropractic Council (GCC)
• General Dental Council (GDC)
• General Medical Council (GMC)
• General Optical Council (GOC)
• General Osteopathic Council (GOsC)
• General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)
• Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) – fifteen professions with designated titles^[3]
• Health and Safety Executive
• Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW)
• Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB)
• Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
• Human Tissue Authority (HTA)
• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
• Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
• Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI)
• Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care
• Public Health Scotland
• Public Health Wales
• The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) (Northern Ireland)
• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)

Housing

• Regulator of Social Housing
• Scottish Housing Regulator

Law

• Authorised Conveyancing Practitioners Board
• Bar Standards Board
• CILEx Regulation
• Faculty of Advocates
• Law Society of Northern Ireland
• Law Society of Scotland
• Master of the Faculties
• Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner
• Solicitors Regulation Authority
• Costs Lawyer Standards Board^[4]
• Council for Licensed Conveyancers

Social care

• Care Quality Commission (CQC)
• Scottish Care Inspectorate
• Care Council for Wales (CCW)
• Social Work England^[5]
• Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC)
• Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)

Transport

• Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
• Maritime and Coastguard Agency
• Office of Rail and Road (ORR)
• Rail Safety Authority (Northern Ireland)

Utilities

• Drinking Water Inspectorate (England and Wales)
• Drinking Water Inspectorate (Northern Ireland)^[6]
• Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland^[7]
• Ofcom – independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries
  • Phone-paid Services Authority – regulator for phone-paid services in the UK, part of Ofcom, replaces ICSTIS, PhonepayPlus
• Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)
• Ofgem – the Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets, regulation of the electricity and gas industries in Great Britain
• Ofwat – the Water Services Regulation Authority, economic regulation of the water and wastewater industries in England and Wales
• The Utility Regulator – economic regulation of the electricity, gas, water and wastewater industries in Northern Ireland^[8]
• Water Industry Commission for Scotland – economic regulation of the water and wastewater industries in Scotland

Others

• Accreditation Service
• Advertising Standards Authority
• British Board of Film Classification
• Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity
• Competition and Markets Authority
• Council for Registered Gas Installers
• Direct Marketing Authority
• Engineering Council – the regulatory body for the engineering profession
• Equality and Human Rights Commission
• Food Standards Agency
• Forensic Science Regulator
• Fundraising Regulator
• Gambling Commission
• Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority
• HM Revenue and Customs
• IMPRESS
• Independent Press Standards Organisation
• Information Commissioner's Office
• North Sea Transition Authority
• Planning Inspectorate
• Independent Office for Police Conduct
• Security Industry Authority

See also

• List of professional associations in the United Kingdom
• Inspectorate § UK

References

1. https://www.estyn.gov.wales/about-us
2. "OPBAS, the UK's new anti-money laundering supervisor, becomes operational". Allen Overy. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
3. "Who we regulate". HCPC. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
4. "Costs Lawyer Standards Board". Retrieved 12 March 2021.
5. "The regulation of social workers in England has transferred to Social Work England". Health & Care Professions Council. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
6. "Duties of the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI)". daera-ni.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
7. "About Us". dwqr.scot. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
8. "About Us". uregni.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 May 2024.