The list of regulators seeks to provide clarity on regulatory bodies to improve user journeys for regulated entities. For the purposes of this list, we are using a broad interpretation of ‘regulator’ to include bodies that exercise statutory regulatory functions. The precise legal status and role of each organisation can be found on their websites. We have included bodies that perform regulatory functions in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Statutory regulators are regulatory bodies established in legislation which exercise regulatory functions created in legislation. This may include the setting of standards, inspection and enforcement of compliance with regulations, licensing or grant of certification. Some government departments and local authorities also perform regulatory functions, however these have not been included in the list.
For a limited number of regulators, we have included a link to their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which is a commitment of the Action Plan published in March 2025. It should be noted that not all regulators in this list are in scope of the Action Plan. Further links to KPIs will be added as this information becomes available.
The list is non-exhaustive and is provided for general information purposes only. The list has no legal status and carries no legal effect.
The version of the list of regulators was published in September 2025 and will be subject to regular review. We would welcome any feedback regarding inclusions, exclusions or corrections by email to angus.barry@businessandtrade.gov.uk.
Additionally, certain jobs and trades are regulated. Find details of these professions and their regulators in the Regulated Professions Register.
Every statutory regulator is sponsored by a UK government department.
Every statutory regulator is sponsored by a UK government department.
Sponsored by the Cabinet Office
Sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| British Hallmarking Council |
Supervises the hallmarking activities of the 4 assay offices in the UK to ensure there is adequate provision of hallmarking within the UK. |
| Companies House |
Official registrar of companies, responsible for incorporating and dissolving limited companies, as well as maintaining public records of company information. |
| Competition Appeal Tribunal |
Specialist judicial body with cross-disciplinary expertise in law, economics, business and accountancy to hear and decide cases involving competition or economic regulatory issues. |
| Competition and Markets Authority |
Promotes competitive markets and tackles unfair behaviour. |
| Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate |
Protects the rights of agency workers by ensuring that employment agencies and businesses treat their workers fairly. |
| Financial Reporting Council |
Regulates auditors, accountants and actuaries, and set the UK’s Corporate Governance and Stewardship Codes. |
| Groceries Code Adjudicator |
Enforces the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and regulates the relationship between supermarkets and their direct suppliers within the United Kingdom. |
| Insolvency Service |
Helps to deliver economic confidence by supporting those in financial distress, tackling financial wrongdoing and maximising returns to creditors. |
| Office for Product Safety Standards |
Protects people and places from product-related harm, ensuring consumers and businesses can buy and sell products with confidence. |
| Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies |
Decides whether an organisation is eligible to become, or continue to be, a community interest company. |
| Pubs Code Adjudicator |
Enforces the statutory Pubs Code, which regulates the relationship between all pub companies owning 500 or more tied pubs in England and Wales and their tide tenants. |
Sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| Charity Commission for England and Wales |
Registers and regulates charities in England and Wales, to make sure that the public can support charities with confidence. |
| Gambling Commission |
Licenses, regulates, advises and provides guidance to the individuals and businesses that offer gambling in Great Britain, including the National Lottery in the UK. |
| Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England |
Protects the historic environment of England by preserving and listing historic buildings, scheduling ancient monuments, registering historic parks and gardens, and advising central and local government. |
| Sports Grounds Safety Authority |
Advises on safety at sports grounds and oversees local authorities in safety certification. |
| UK Anti-Doping |
Ensures sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy. |
Sponsored by the Department for Education
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| Independent Schools Inspector |
Inspects association independent schools in England, to inform Department for Education on the extent to which the statutory Independent School Standards are met. |
| Ofsted |
Inspects services providing education and skills for learners of all ages and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people. |
| Office of the Schools Adjudicator |
Decides on objections and variations to admission arrangements, appeals from schools directed to admit pupils, significant changes to schools and ownership of school land. |
| Office for Students |
Sets requirements that registered higher education providers must meet for teaching quality, student outcomes, equality of access and participation. |
| Ofqual |
Regulates qualifications, examinations and assessments in England and maintains qualification standards. |
| Social Work England |
Regulates social workers in England by creating standards in partnerships with everyone who has an interest in social work. |
| Teaching Regulation Agency |
Responsible for the regulation of the teaching profession, including misconduct hearings and the maintenance of a record of teachers, trainee teachers and those who hold a teacher reference number. |
Sponsored by the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| Mining Remediation Authority |
Licenses coal mining in Great Britain and manages the legacy issues that have resulted from coal mining, including mine water pollution. |
| North Sea Transition Authority |
Regulates industries involved in oil and gas, offshore hydrogen and carbon storage. |
| Office for Nuclear Regulation |
Regulates nuclear safety, civil nuclear security and safeguards and health and safety at the 35 licensed nuclear sites in Great Britain as well as the transport of civil nuclear and radioactive materials by road, rail and inland waterways. |
| Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment & Decommissioning |
Regulates environmental and decommissioning activity for offshore oil and gas operations, including carbon capture and storage operations, on the UK continental shelf. |
| Ofgem |
Regulates energy to make sure that energy customers are treated fairly and benefit from a cleaner, greener environment. |
Sponsored by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| Animal and Plant Health Agency |
Safeguards animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment and the economy. |
| Competent Harbour Authorities, Trinity House |
Official authority for lighthouses in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. |
| Drinking Water Inspectorate |
Provides independent reassurance that water supplies in England and Wales are safe and drinking water quality is acceptable to consumers. |
| Environment Agency |
Protects and improves the environment in England by regulating industry and waste and managing water quality and resources, the treatment of contaminated land, inland river, estuary and harbour navigations, fisheries and general conservation and ecology. |
| Forestry Commission |
Protects, expands and promotes the sustainable management of woodlands in England. |
| Marine Management Organisation |
Protects and enhances the marine environment by enabling sustainable marine activities and development. |
| Natural England |
Conserves, manages and enhances England’s natural environment and contributes to sustainable development. |
| Office for Environmental Protection |
Protects and improves the environment by holding government and other public authorities to account. |
| Ofwat |
Regulates the water sector in England and Wales. |
| Rural Payments Agency |
Makes payments to farmers, traders and landowners and manages schemes to ensure a healthy rural economy and strong rural communities. |
| Veterinary Medicines Directorate |
Makes, updates and enforces the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. |
Sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| Information Commissioners’ Office |
Oversees data protection, privacy rights and freedom of information and makes sure organisations comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. |
| Intellectual Property Office |
Operates and maintains the UK’s intellectual property system of patents, designs, trade marks and copyright. |
| Intellectual Property Regulation Board |
Independent regulatory body for the Patent Attorney and Trade Mark Attorney professions. |
| Ofcom |
Regulates communications services in the UK including broadband, mobile and home phone services, postal services, TV, radio and online services. |
Sponsored by the Department for Transport
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| Civil Aviation Authority |
Regulates the UK aviation industry, including pilot and engineer licensing and testing equipment. |
| Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |
Maintains the registration and licensing of drivers and vehicles in Great Britain and collects and enforces vehicle tax. |
| Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency |
Improves driving and motorcycling standards, carries out theory and practical driving and riding tests and sets standards for education and training. |
| Institute of the Motor Industry |
Develops skills benchmarks and qualifications relevant to the modern automotive sector, oversees assessment and accredits individuals to operate in the sector. |
| Maritime and Coastguard Agency |
Prevents the loss of life on the coast and at sea, produces legislation and guidance on maritime matters and certifies seafarers. |
| Office of Rail and Road |
Regulates the rail industry and monitors National Highways to protect and the interests of road and rail users. |
| Street Works Qualification Register |
Maintains records of individuals who have achieved the required qualifications to perform street works under the New Roads and Street Works Act. |
| Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain |
Regulates and licenses heavy good vehicle operators, bus and coach operators and registers local bus services. |
| Vehicle Certification Agency |
Approves most categories of new vehicles from locations in the UK and overseas and is responsible for certification under UK type approval schemes.) |
Sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions
Sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| Care Quality Commission |
Monitors, regulates and inspects health and adult social care services in England to make sure people have safe, effective, compassionate, high-quality care. |
| Food Standards Agency |
Protects public health from risks arising from the consumption of food and protects the interests of consumers in relation to food. |
| Health Research Authority |
Protects and promotes the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research. |
| Human Ferilisation and Embryology Authority |
Regulates fertility treatment and research using human embryos. |
| Human Tissue Authority |
Regulates organisations that remove, store and use human tissue for research, medical treatment, post-mortem examination, education and training, and display in public and gives approval for organ and bone marrow donations from living people. |
| Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority |
Regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the UK. |
| National Institute for Health and Care Excellence |
Provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care. |
Sponsored by HM Treasury
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering |
Supervises the 25 professional body supervisors in the legal and accountancy sectors to reduce the harm of money laundering and terrorist financing. |
| Bank of England |
Provides monetary and financial stability for the people of the UK. |
| Financial Conduct Authority |
Regulates the conduct of businesses in the UK to make sure that financial markets work well for individuals, businesses and for the growth and competitiveness of the UK economy. |
| Panel on Takeovers and Mergers |
Issues and administers the Takeover Code, supervises and regulates takeovers and other matters to which the Code applies. |
| Payment Systems Regulator |
Promotes competition and innovation in the payments industry and makes sure that payments are safe and secure. |
| Prudential Regulation Authority |
Regulates and supervises banks, building societies, credit unions, insurers and major investment firms by creating standards and policy. |
Sponsored by the Home Office
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| Animals in Science Regulation Unit |
Administers and enforces the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 which sets restrictions around the use of animals in scientific research. |
| Disclosure and Barring Service |
Enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially involving children or vulnerable adults, and provides wider access to criminal record information through its disclosure service for England and Wales. |
| Forensic Science Regulator |
Makes sure that the provision of forensic science across the criminal justice system is subject to an appropriate regime of scientific quality standards. |
| Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority |
Investigates labour exploitation in England and Wales and works with partners to target, dismantle and disrupt serious and organised crime across the UK. |
| Security Industry Authority |
Regulates the UK’s private security industry and activities such as cash and valuable in transit, close protection, door supervision, public space surveillance (CCTV), security guarding and key holding. |
| HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services |
Assess the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire and rescue services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. |
| Immigration Advice Authority |
Regulates immigration advisers; ensuring they are fit, competent and act in their clients’ best interests. |
| Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration |
Monitors and reports on the efficiency and effectiveness of the immigration, asylum, nationality and customs functions carried out by the Home Secretary and by officials and others on their behalf. |
| Independent Office for Police Conduct |
Investigates the most serious complaints and conduct matters involving the police, and sets the standards by which the police should handle complaints. |
| UK Visas and Immigration |
Responsible for making millions of decisions every year about who has the right to visit or stay in the UK. |
Sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
| Regulator |
Purpose |
| HM Land Registry |
Registers the ownership of land and property in England and Wales. |
| National Trading Standards Letting Agency Team |
Enforces letting agency legislation, monitors compliance with requirements to display fees and membership of client money protection schemes, and protects consumers and businesses from unfair trading practises in the lettings market. Powys County Council takes the lead for the team’s work on the requirement to display fees and client money protection scheme membership, while Bristol City Council leads on the broader enforcement of letting agency legislation. |
| Regulator of Social Housing |
Sets standards and regulations to drive improvements in social housing landlords, including local authorities and makes sure housing associations are well-governed, financially viable and offer value for money. |
| Valuation Office Agency |
Gives the government the valuations and property advice needed to support taxation and benefits. |
Sponsored by the Ministry of Justice
Sponsored by the Attorney General’s Office