Extended the period during which Universal Credit claims remain active for individuals participating in government-funded wage subsidy schemes.

These Regulations amend social security claim procedures to extend the "automatic reclaim" period for Universal Credit recipients participating in government-funded employment schemes.

While standard rules terminate a benefit claim after five months of earnings exceeding the entitlement threshold, this instrument directs that the claim remains active for the entire duration of a claimant's participation in a wage subsidy scheme.

The Secretary of State, Scottish Ministers, or Welsh Ministers must fund the scheme under the Employment and Training Act 1973 for this extension to apply.

This ensures that if a claimant's earnings cease or decrease at the end of the scheme, their benefit payments can resume without requiring a new application.

Activated a new industrial relations Code of Practice for electronic and workplace voting in trade union ballots starting 25 August 2026.

This Order establishes 25 August 2026 as the commencement date for a new Code of Practice governing electronic and workplace balloting for trade unions in England, Wales, and Scotland.

It directs trade unions to follow specific guidance when conducting statutory ballots for industrial action, political resolutions, and union amalgamations.

The Order applies to trade unions, employers, and independent scrutineers involved in statutory voting processes, while exempting ballots that were already underway or formally initiated before the effective date.

Expanded trade union balloting methods to include electronic, hybrid, and workplace voting while updating unfair dismissal protections.

This Order amends the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and the Employment Rights Act 1996 to permit trade unions to conduct elections and industrial action ballots via electronic, hybrid, and workplace voting in addition to traditional postal methods.

It directs a 'responsible person' within the union to determine which voting methods are available for a given ballot based on specific security and accessibility criteria.

The Order applies to trade unions, employers, and independent scrutineers, mandating strict technical standards such as Cyber Essentials Plus certification, data encryption, and the maintenance of comprehensive audit logs.

Introduced a credit-based system for higher education tuition fee limits in England for courses starting from January 2027.

These Regulations establish a credit-based fee limit system for higher education courses in England beginning on or after 1 January 2027.

The document directs the Office for Students to apply fee limit conditions to registered providers in the 'Approved (fee cap)' category and defines the categories of 'qualifying persons'—based on residency and immigration status—protected by these limits.

It specifies maximum credit amounts per year and per course, sets fractional per-credit fee amounts for different activities like taught study or work placements, and incorporates rules for foundation years, accelerated courses, and students transferring with prior credits.

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.

Recognised products compliant with the EU Machinery Regulation for the Great Britain market and established market surveillance, conformity assessment, and enforcement regimes for the EU regulation in Northern Ireland.

This statutory instrument establishes enforcement and conformity assessment mechanisms in Northern Ireland for Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery, while amending Great Britain's machinery safety framework to recognise products complying with the EU regulation from 20 January 2027.

It restricts the territorial scope of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 to Great Britain, substitutes provisions governing CE and UK marking recognition to align with the new EU regulation, and ensures qualifying Northern Ireland goods maintain access to Great Britain.

In Northern Ireland, the instrument revokes the 2008 regulations, mandates the use of the UK(NI) indication when UK notified bodies perform conformity assessments, designates the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland and local district councils as market surveillance authorities, establishes criminal offences and penalties for economic operator non-compliance, and creates procedures for sharing compliance information with the European Commission.

Authorized the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board to impose a training levy on industry employers for the years 2026, 2027, and 2028.

Establishes a statutory levy on employers within the engineering construction industry for three distinct periods covering 2026 through 2028.

It directs the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board to assess and collect payments based on employer emoluments and labor-only contract costs, while providing specific exemptions for small-scale employers and charitable organizations.

The Order applies to all employers engaged wholly or mainly in engineering construction activities in England, Wales, and Scotland.

Expanded civil legal aid to include respect orders and housing injunctions while restricting non-means-tested support for national security measures.

This Order expands the scope of civil legal aid in England and Wales to include proceedings related to respect orders, youth injunctions, and housing injunctions.

It directs that 'help at court' and 'investigative representation' are unavailable for proceedings involving Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures or foreign power threat activity.

Additionally, the Order mandates that only 'legal help'—and not broader legal services—is exempt from financial means testing for individuals subject to national security-related investigation notices.