Devolution Legislation
Legislative framework governing powers delegated to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, including regional autonomy and inter-governmental relations.
The Energy Prices Act 2022 (Extension of Time Limit) Regulations 2026
Extended the Secretary of State's legal authority to provide energy cost support by six months until October 2026.
These Regulations extend the period during which the Secretary of State may exercise powers under Section 13 of the Energy Prices Act 2022 to provide financial support for energy costs.
The initial statutory deadline for these powers was set to expire on 25 April 2026, three years and six months after the original Act was passed.
This instrument moves that expiration date forward by six months to 25 October 2026, applying to England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
The Electronic Commerce (Amendment and Consequential Provision) Regulations 2026
Revoked regulatory exemptions and legal protections previously granted to EEA-based online service providers under retained EU law.
These Regulations repeal provisions related to the Country of Origin Principle (CoOP) previously established under the EU e-Commerce Directive. They remove exemptions that protected European Economic Area (EEA) based information society service providers from certain UK market access regulations and restricted the prosecution of such providers for specific criminal offences, including those under the Terrorism Act 2006 and laws regarding extreme pornography.
The instrument applies to the Secretary of State and affects EEA-based digital service providers active in the UK market.
The Customs (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026
The commencement date for the Customs (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 was officially changed from 20th April 2026 to 25th May 2026.
These Regulations, officially titled The Customs (Northern Ireland) (EU Exit) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2026, introduce a technical amendment to delay the enforcement date of a preceding Statutory Instrument, specifically S.I. 2026/393.
The Treasury exercised powers under the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018 to move the commencement date for specific customs amendments in Northern Ireland from April 20th, 2026, to May 25th, 2026.
The Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) (Amendment) (Specified Period) Order 2026
The instrument extended the specified period and critical procedural deadlines for the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme by nine months, concluding the main obligation period on December 31st, 2026.
This Statutory Instrument, made on March 25th, 2026, amends the preceding Electricity and Gas (Energy Company Obligation) Order 2022 by extending the overall period of the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme by nine months, shifting the end date for the home-heating cost reduction target from March 31st, 2026, to December 31st, 2026.
The Order also adjusts several associated deadlines for remaining procedural steps, applications, and measure approvals under the ECO scheme across England, Wales, and Scotland, ensuring consistency with the newly defined final date.
The Scotland Act 2016, Section 18 (Disapplication of UK Aggregates Levy) (Appointed Day) Regulations 2026
The Regulations appointed April 1, 2026, as the date when the UK Aggregates Levy ceases to apply in Scotland under the provisions of the Scotland Act 2016.
These Regulations, made by HM Treasury, formally establish 1st April 2026 as the appointed day for the commencement of amendments made under Section 18 and Schedule 1 of the Scotland Act 2016, which will stop applying the UK Aggregates Levy to the commercial exploitation of aggregate occurring within Scotland on or after that date.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 (Enforcement) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2026
The Regulations amended multiple statutory instruments, including those concerning employment agencies, gangmaster licensing appeals, and proceeds of crime investigations, to replace references to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority with the Secretary of State, following provisions in the Employment Rights Act 2025.
These Regulations, operating under the powers granted by the Employment Rights Act 2025, make necessary consequential amendments to various pieces of secondary legislation to align them with the new enforcement structure established by the 2025 Act, chiefly involving the transfer of functions previously held by the now-abolished Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) to the Secretary of State and integrating new enforcement officers into regulatory and financial investigation frameworks.
The Scotland Act 1998 (Modification of Schedule 5) Order 2026
The Order modified Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 to grant temporary, restricted competence to the Scottish Parliament regarding assisted dying substances and devices.
This Order, made under the Scotland Act 1998, temporarily modifies Schedule 5, which defines reserved matters, to grant the Scottish Parliament limited legislative competence concerning the identification and regulation of substances and devices used in assisted dying for terminally ill adults.
The legislative power conferred is conditional: Scottish Ministers can identify substances/devices via subordinate legislation only with the Secretary of State’s agreement, while the Secretary of State retains power to regulate those items without Scottish Minister agreement.
These exceptions apply only to Scottish Acts resulting from Bills passed before 7 May 2026, and the Scottish Parliament cannot use this limited power to mandate the content of the regulation or impose duties on the Secretary of State.
The Schools (Recording and Reporting of Seclusion and Restraint) (No. 2) (England) Regulations 2025
The Secretary of State enacted these Regulations, defining seclusion and restraint, imposing recording and parental notification duties on local authority maintained schools, extending similar duties to independent and non-maintained special schools via amendments, providing safeguarding exceptions for non-disclosure, and revoking the preceding 2025 regulations.
These Regulations, made under the Education Act 1996 and Education and Skills Act 2008, establish mandatory duties for schools in England regarding the recording and reporting of incidents where a member of staff secludes, restrains, or immobilizes a pupil outside of a disciplinary penalty; specifically, they require maintained schools to record such incidents and provide copies to parents, allowing for records to be withheld if disclosure risks the pupil's significant harm, while also amending standards for independent and non-maintained special schools to introduce equivalent requirements and simultaneously revoking a previous version of these regulations issued in error.