The Order legally extended the definition of 'disease' under the Animal Health Act 1981 to include swine vesicular disease for operations within England.

This statutory instrument, made by the Secretary of State under the Animal Health Act 1981, officially extends the legal definition of 'disease' specifically for the application of the Act within England to formally include swine vesicular disease, thereby enabling the full regulatory framework pertaining to animal diseases to be applied to this specific contagion.

Amended the 2023 Development Consent Order for Longfield Solar Farm to update technical designs, hedgerow protections, and biodiversity measurement standards.

This Order modifies the Longfield Solar Farm Order 2023 to adjust technical specifications and environmental requirements for the renewable energy project.

It increases the allowed cable circuits for specific grid connection works, updates the planning permission references for Park Farm, and modifies the application of the Hedgerows Regulations 1997.

The Order also mandates that landscape and ecological management plans for the main site construction works demonstrate a minimum of 87% biodiversity net gain using a specific metric.

These changes apply to the developers of the Longfield Solar Farm and the relevant planning authorities in Essex.

Expanded the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to include air-to-air heat pumps for residential properties and extended the grant program's lifespan to 2030.

These Regulations amend the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) Regulations 2022 to expand the scope of eligible renewable heating technologies and extend the duration of the program.

They introduce air-to-air heat pumps as eligible plant for residential properties, remove the mandatory requirement for a valid energy performance certificate, and extend the scheme's operational timeline until 2030.

The regulations apply to heat pump and biomass boiler installers and property owners in England and Wales, overseen by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

The Warm Home Discount (England and Wales) Regulations 2026 were made to continue the fuel poverty reduction scheme until 2031, defining supplier obligations, rebate mechanisms, and spending requirements for energy efficiency measures.

These Statutory Instruments continue the Warm Home Discount Scheme in England and Wales until March 31, 2031, re-enacting and amending provisions from the 2022 Regulations to combat fuel poverty.

The scheme mandates obligations on energy suppliers, primarily through a core spending obligation requiring the provision of a £150 prescribed rebate to eligible 'core group customers' identified by the Secretary of State, and a non-core spending obligation covering industry initiatives like energy efficiency improvements, advice provision, and debt write-off, all administered and enforced by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (the Authority).

Switched the inflation indexing for renewable electricity buy-out prices and mutualisation caps from RPI to CPI effective April 2026.

This Order amends the Renewables Obligation Order 2015 to change the inflation index used for adjusting the buy-out price and the mutualisation cap for electricity suppliers in England and Wales.

It replaces the Retail Prices Index (RPI) with the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) for all obligation periods starting on or after 1 April 2026.

These changes apply to all licensed electricity suppliers who must either produce Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) or make cash buy-out payments to the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority (Ofgem).

Modified the legal framework for how local authorities and the Secretary of State revoke or prepare joint minerals and waste planning documents in England.

These regulations amend previous 2026 legislation to modify the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 as it relates to minerals and waste plans in England.

The instrument establishes specific requirements for minerals and waste planning authorities to revoke existing documents when new plans take effect and clarifies the legal framework for joint plans.

It directs how the Secretary of State may intervene or revoke documents at the request of local authorities and specifies that joint plans must be adopted by all participating authorities to be valid.

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 Regulations amended six existing sets of health and safety legislation to explicitly include definitions, licensing rules, operator responsibilities, and safety case requirements for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and offshore hydrogen production activities.

These Regulations, made on 10th March 2026 and effective 6th April 2026, introduce amendments across six major pieces of UK health and safety legislation governing offshore installations and pipelines, primarily to formally incorporate activities related to Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and offshore hydrogen production into existing safety, management, regulatory, and reporting frameworks, ensuring these nascent energy sectors are regulated under consistent safety standards previously applied to the offshore oil and gas industry.