Act |
Date |
Main Regulatory Provisions |
| Broadcasting Act | 1980 | Allows IBA second television service |
| Competition Act | 1980 | Provided new procedures for dealing with anti-competitive practices |
| Transport Act | 1980 | Liberalized express coaching and increased access to other road services |
| Fisheries Act | 1981 | Establish Sea Fish Industry Authority to Regulate See Fishing in the UK |
| Telecom Act | 1981 | Began liberalization of telecoms: deregulate high value, courier and postal services |
| Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Act | 1982 | Liberalized Gas Supply |
| Energy Act | 1983 | Increased Access to entrants to electricity generation |
| Telecom Act | 1984 | set up Office of Telecom; abolished BT"s exclusive privileged in telecommunications; allowed privatization |
| Cable and Broadcasting Act | 1984 | Established Cable Authority |
| Civil Aviation Act | 1980 | Liberalized domestic aviation, and international aviation where possible |
| Transport Act | 1985 | Deregualted local bus services |
| Airports Act | 1986 | Allowed privatization of BAA: regulation of use and economic controls of airports |
| Gas Act | 1986 | Established OFGAS; ends monopoly privileges of British Gas; allowed privatization |
| Wages Act | 1986 | Abolition of Wages Councils |
| Building Societies Act | 1986 | Set up Building Societies Commission, gave building societies new powers, gave statutory basis to compensation scheme |
| Financial Services Act | 1986 | Gave authority to the Securities and Investment Board to regulate a wide range of investment business |
| Banking Act | 1987 | New provisions for regulating the acceptance of deposits; protecting of depositors, and regulating the use of banking names and descriptions |
| Local Government Act | 1988 | Required competitive tendering of various local government services |
| Water Act | 1989 | Set up National Rivers Authority; set up Office of Water Services; allowed privatizaiton of ten regional water authorities |
| Electricity Act | 1989 | Set up Office of Electricity Supply; separated the electricity industry into grid, distribution and generation companies; allowed privatization |
Source: Bishop M., and Thomposn, D. (1993), Privatization in the UK, In: Ramanadham V.V. (ed), Privatization: A Global Perspective, London and New York, 1993, pp. 1-28,