Report of the Committee for Reforming the Regulatory Environment ...

place in the revised regulations. In the absence of atwo-stage process, the stakeholders that send in theirsuggestions are often not aware whether theirsuggestions have been taken into consideration, thoughnot necessarily accepted. A two-stage process ofconsultation would ensure that the avoidable situationsof misinterpretation of the regulations do not exist. Inemergent cases, nothing would prevent the regulatorybody from giving effect to regulations to address theproblem on hand and simultaneously seekingcomments by way of a post-decisional consultationprocess. Feedback obtained from regulators wouldseem to indicate that there is at best lukewarmresponse to the draft proposals put out in the publicdomain for consultation. It would be incumbent on thestakeholders to respond to the draft regulations whilethe process of consultation is on rather than tocomplain about the inadequacies or the overreach ofthe regulations once they are given effect to.38