FSA/PN/125/2000
16/10/2000

The Financial Services Authority today publishes the twelfth in its series of Occasional Papers. Some cost-benefit issues in financial regulation, edited by Peter Andrews of the FSAs Central Policy Unit, follows up themes discussed at a seminar organised by the FSA last year to help develop its approach to its new responsibilities with regard to cost benefit analysis (CBA). It includes revised and updated versions of the presentations given by the three speakers at the seminar plus a commentary on the issues raised. The commentary broadly reflects the seminar discussions, which in turn have contributed to the FSAs current approach to CBA.

In addition to addressing how CBA might be used in the development of financial services regulation, the presentations by David Simpson, Geoff Meeks and Paul Klumpes covered a number of other topical issues. These include the relationship between competition and regulation in retail financial services, the effectiveness of accounting regulation, and how interest group pressures might influence developments in the UK pensions industry.

Notes for editors

  1. The seminar on which this Occasional Paper is based was held at the FSA on 17 September 1999 and was attended by a mixture of industry practitioners, academics, regulators and other interested parties.

  2. David Simpson is Economic Adviser at Standard Life, and before that Professor of Economics at the University of Strathclyde. Geoff Meeks is a member of the Faculty of Economics and Politics at the University of Cambridge. Paul Klumpes is a Senior Lecturer at Warwick University Business School. Each of the speakers is responsible only for his own revised presentation as published in the Occasional Paper.

  3. The FSAs Occasional Papers series is designed to encourage informed debate about financial regulation issues and has covered such topics as the rationale for regulation, the benefits of a single financial regulator, the International Financial Architecture, and the Price of Retail Investing in the UK. Copies of Occasional Papers are available from FSA publications, and can be found on the FSA Website: www.fsa.gov.uk.

  4. The FSA regulates the financial services industry and has four objectives under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000: maintaining market confidence; promoting public understanding of the financial system; the protection of consumers; and fighting financial crime.

  5. The FSA aims to maintain efficient, orderly and clean financial markets and help retail consumers achieve a fair deal.

Appended information

This Occasional paper is available from the publications section of our web site. The direct URL is http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/occpapers/op12.pdf.

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