Driving Performance at Ireland's Commission for Regulation of Utilities
As “market referees”, regulators contribute to the delivery of essential public utilities. Their organisational culture, behaviour and governance are important factors in how regulators, and the sectors they oversee, perform. The OECD Performance Assessment Framework for Economic Regulators (PAFER) looks at the institutions, processes and practices that can create an organisational culture of performance and results. The report uses PAFER to assess elements linked to both the internal and external governance of Ireland's Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU). The review acknowledges the achievements and good practices put in place by the regulator since its creation. It also analyses the key drivers of CRU’s performance and proposes an integrated reform package to help the regulator prepare for the future.
Foreword and acknowledgements
The business of “regulating” is becoming increasingly less technocratic and more sophisticated. Complexity, technological advancement and societal change are transforming the way that regulatory agencies operate. Traditionally tasked with ensuring access to and quality of public services, facilitating investments, and protecting market neutrality, regulators today are dealing with greater demands in a context of uncertainty. They need to be flexible, robust and aware – able to react to new trends, stand up to scrutiny, and actively collect and analyse data and information. Against this backdrop, good governance is all the more essential.