Good regulatory outcomes depend on more than well-designed rules and regulations. They also require bodies to administer these rules to ensure that the right policy outcomes are realised. Regulators are at the delivery end of the policy cycle and their job is inherently a complex one, requiring neutral engagement with a variety of actors, including government, citizens and regulated entities.

Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1993 to protect and improve Ireland’s environment. Reflecting its reputation for delivering results, the EPA’s responsibilities have expanded over time in step with new legislation and EU directives and following the merger with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland in 2014. The EPA has built up a reputation as a trusted and respected body that stakeholders recognise for its scientific integrity. Its technical and administrative independence are reinforced by a strong internal culture of independence.

Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was established in 1993 as a public regulatory body with administrative and technical independence to protect and improve Ireland’s environment. Over time the EPA’s responsibilities have expanded beyond those originally set out in its founding statute – the Environmental Protection Agency Act, 1992 – in step with new regulations, EU directives and following the merger with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland in 2014.

This chapter provides an overview of Ireland’s public institutions and describes the main features of the regulatory framework that determines the functions of Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Performance Assessment Framework for Economic Regulators (PAFER) was developed by the OECD to help regulators assess their own performance. The PAFER structures the drivers of performance along an input-process-output-outcome framework. This chapter applies the framework to the governance of Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and reviews the existing features, the opportunities and challenges faced by the EPA.

Measuring regulatory performance is challenging, starting with defining what to measure, dealing with confounding factors, attributing outcomes to interventions and coping with the lack of data and information. This chapter describes the methodology developed by the OECD to help regulators address these challenges through a Performance Assessment Framework for Economic Regulators (PAFER), which informs this review. The chapter first presents some of the work conducted by the OECD on measuring regulatory performance. It then describes the key features of the PAFER and presents a typology of performance indicators to measure input, process, output and outcome. It finally provides an overview of the approach and practical steps undertaken for developing this review.