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Health impact assessment: questions and guidance for impact assessment

The consideration of health impact assessment in the Government’s impact assessment process is mandatory. As part of the White Paper 'Choosing Health' 2004, the Government gave a commitment to building health into all future legislation by including health as a component in regulatory impact assessment (RIA). Cabinet Office has revised this to impact assessment (IA) and HIA is now a specific impact test. This means that health and well-being are designed into national policy.

Any proposal may have an impact on health or health inequalities. If you have answered yes to two or more of the first three screening questions, you will need to answer the following three health and well-being assessment questions and record the outcome in the Costs and Benefits Analysis, the basis for this in the Evidence Base section and annexed to the IA.