Activated legal powers on 13 August 2026 allowing probation services to disclose offender information to victims deemed at risk of harm.

These Regulations bring specific provisions of the Victims and Courts Act 2026 into force on 13 August 2026, primarily concerning the disclosure of information to victims of crime. They empower probation service providers to share information with victims who may be at risk of physical or psychological harm, even if the standard criteria for the statutory Victim Contact Scheme are not fully met.

The regulations also apply to responsible clinicians and hospital managers in cases involving offenders under the Mental Health Act 1983, ensuring they respond to information requests related to victim safety.

Corrected technical drafting errors and internal cross-references within the 2026 Infected Blood compensation regulations.

This instrument corrects typographical and structural errors in the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2026.

It ensures that specific instructions for inserting text into previous regulations are properly phrased and that cross-references within the Schedule relating to payment eligibility are accurate.

These corrections apply to the IBCA (Infected Blood Compensation Authority) and any individuals or estate representatives engaged in the compensation claim process.

Corrected typographical errors and statutory citations in the 2026 Firefighters' Pension amendment.

This document issues technical corrections to the Firefighters' Pension Scheme (England) (Amendment) Order 2026 to rectify typographical mistakes, incorrect cross-references, and incomplete citations.

It modifies specific definitions regarding pension calculations, clarifies rules for joining the scheme, and fixes errors in footnotes and formatting within the Schedule.

These adjustments apply to the administration of firefighters' pensions in England, ensuring the legal text accurately reflects the intended regulatory framework.

Expanded infected blood compensation eligibility and increased award amounts for childhood infections, interferon treatments, and unethical research practices.

These Regulations amend the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025 to introduce new compensation categories and increase payment amounts for eligible infected and affected persons.

They establish a new severity level (2B) for Hepatitis B and C infections involving interferon treatment, create a financial loss award for potential earning capacity, and increase the autonomy award for those infected as children.

The instrument also expands the definition of unethical research practices and raises the associated award to £60,000 while updating various support scheme and winter fuel payment figures.

Activated legal provisions establishing a new Local Audit Office and reforming local government pension accounting and audit committee requirements from 15 July 2026.

This instrument brings into force several sections of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 on 15 July 2026, primarily affecting local authorities and pension scheme managers in England.

It establishes the Local Audit Office, mandates audit committees for Category 1 authorities, and introduces new requirements for cooperation between local government pension scheme managers.

The regulations also authorize the separation of pension scheme accounts and modify how smaller authorities are categorized for audit purposes when financial reviews are outstanding.

Revoked the temporary legal protections that preserved free school lunch eligibility for specific groups during the transition to Universal Credit.

This Order terminates the temporary protection of free school lunch eligibility for certain students in England starting 17 August 2026.

It amends the Welfare Reform Act 2012 (Commencement No. 30 and Transitory Provisions) Order 2018 by revoking the 'transitory provisions' that previously allowed individuals to retain their free meal status despite changes to the welfare system.

The Secretary of State for Education directs that any person relying on these specific transitional rules to qualify for free school lunches will cease to be eligible on the specified date.

Established a formal tax settlement scheme for individuals and employers to resolve outstanding loan charge liabilities and associated inheritance tax issues.

These regulations establish the Loan Charge Settlement Scheme, providing a framework for individuals and corporate employers to settle liabilities arising from certain loans or quasi-loans treated as employment or trading income.

The instrument directs HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to identify eligible persons, calculate settlement offers using prescribed methodologies, and manage the collection of settlement amounts as Crown debts.

It applies to taxpayers liable for loan charge amounts under the Finance (No. 2) Act 2017, excluding those suspected of being tax arrangement promoters, and introduces specific inheritance tax exemptions for those who enter into a settlement agreement.

Updated various childcare regulations to ban dangerous dog breeds from premises, broadened harm notification requirements, and adopted the July 2026 EYFS statutory frameworks.

These Regulations amend several existing statutory instruments to update childcare registration and welfare requirements in England.

The legislation prohibits the presence of banned dog breeds at childcare premises, lowers the threshold for notifying the Chief Inspector of child abuse or harm by removing the qualifier 'serious', and adopts updated statutory frameworks for learning, development, and staff qualifications.

It applies specifically to early years childminders, group and school-based providers, later years providers, and home child-carers registered on both the Early Years and General Childcare Registers.