Economy Legislation
Regulations governing economic policy, monetary matters, taxation, public spending, and market regulation.
The Biocidal Products (Data Protection Periods) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
The Biocidal Products (Data Protection Periods) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, made by the Secretary of State with the consent of the Scottish and Welsh Ministers, modify Article 95 of the GB Biocidal Products Regulation by updating cross-references to previous EU regulations and significantly extending the data protection expiration date to 31 December 2030 for specific active substance/product-type combinations where approval decisions are still pending.
The Borough Council of Calderdale (Elland Station and West Vale Access Package) (West Yorkshire Plus Transport Fund, Transforming Cities Fund) (Calder and Hebble Navigation Bridge) Scheme 2022 Confirmation Instrument 2025
The Secretary of State for Transport confirms the Borough Council of Calderdale’s Scheme, enacted under the Highways Act 1980, which authorizes the construction of a multi-span bridge over the Calder and Hebble Navigation.
This bridge is a component of the Elland Station and West Vale Access Package, intended to provide essential pedestrian and cycle access to the proposed Elland Rail Station from the north bank, while ensuring navigational requirements of the waterway are met.
The Procurement Act 2023 (Threshold Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
These Regulations, issued by the Minister for the Cabinet Office with the consent of the Department of Finance for Northern Ireland, update specific financial threshold amounts within the Procurement Act 2023, effective from January 1, 2026.
The primary goal is to ensure the UK's public procurement rules, particularly those governed by the GPA, align with current international standards, while also correcting an inconsistency in below-threshold contract procedures and detailing specific threshold columns related to contracts regulated by the Welsh Ministers.
The Clean Heat Market Mechanism (Amendment) Regulations 2025
These Regulations amend the Clean Heat Market Mechanism (CHMM) Regulations 2025, which established the mandatory scheme requiring boiler manufacturers to meet escalating targets for installing low-carbon heat pumps proportionate to their fossil fuel boiler sales in the UK. The amendments officially designate the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) as the sole approval scheme for CHMM compliance, update the criteria for what qualifies as a hybrid heating system, and most significantly, increase the required low-carbon heat installation target for scheme years beginning April 1, 2026, from 6% to 8% of relevant boiler sales.
The Online Safety Act 2023 (Fees) (Threshold Figure) Regulations 2025
These Regulations, made by the Secretary of State following advice from Ofcom under the powers granted by the Online Safety Act 2023, establish the "threshold figure" at £250 million.
This figure determines which providers of regulated online services must notify Ofcom and pay fees to cover the regulator's online safety functions, with the threshold taking effect from the charging year beginning on 1st April 2026.
These Regulations update and consolidate the legal framework governing merchant vessels used in commercial activities related to sport or pleasure, applying to UK vessels globally and other seagoing vessels in UK waters, excluding those carrying more than twelve passengers or pleasure vessels not engaged commercially.
The legislation details specific survey and certification requirements based on vessel size (large vessels subject to the REG Code, small vessels subject to the SCV Code), establishes appeal processes including arbitration for survey disputes, outlines certificate validity and conditions for cancellation, sets out operational requirements, and defines offenses and detention powers for enforcement against non-compliant vessels.
The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Order 2025
The Treasury enacted this Order using powers under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 to amend the Regulated Activities Order 2001, primarily by revising the exclusion criteria for firms dealing in commodity derivatives, emission allowances, and derivatives from the definition of an "investment firm." The amendment introduces the option for exclusion based on activities being ancillary to the firm's main business (assessed on a group basis) or falling below an annually determined threshold set by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), with the FCA granted rule-making powers to specify these conditions.
The Order also makes consequential amendments necessitated by the revocation of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/592, establishing commencement dates across late 2025 and early 2027.
The Electricity (Individual Exemption from the Requirement for a Transmission Licence) (Dogger Bank A) (Amendment) Order 2025
The Secretary of State made this Order under powers granted by the Electricity Act 1989 to amend the existing 2025 Order concerning the Dogger Bank A Offshore Wind Farm.
This amendment specifically extends the date until which the project is exempt from the requirement to hold an electricity transmission licence, changing the expiry date from December 19, 2025, to December 18, 2026, and the Order applies to England, Wales, and Scotland.