Justice Legislation

Laws relating to criminal justice, court procedures, legal services, law enforcement, and judicial administration.

The Health and Care Professions Council (Miscellaneous Amendments) Rules Order of Council 2025

This Order approves amendments to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) rules.

The amendments increase various registration and scrutiny fees, reflecting updated operational costs, and allow the HCPC to conduct meetings and hearings using audio or video conferencing technology improving efficiency and access.

The fee increases affect registration, renewal, readmission, and restoration fees, as well as scrutiny fees for UK and international applicants.

The changes to procedures affect multiple sets of HCPC procedural rules, specifically those concerning the Investigating, Conduct and Competence, Health, and Registration Appeals Committees.

The HCPC consulted with relevant bodies and stakeholders before implementing these changes.

The Armed Forces (Discharge and Transfer to the Reserve Forces) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Published: Mon 3rd Mar 25

The Armed Forces (Discharge and Transfer to the Reserve Forces) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, effective March 24, 2025, amend the 2009 regulations.

Key changes include removing the requirement for place of enlistment and officer conduct assessment from discharge certificates and replacing gendered language with gender-neutral terms throughout the 2009 regulations.

The amendments aim to improve efficiency and ensure inclusivity.

These regulations apply to England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and British overseas territories (excluding Gibraltar).

The Courses Offered as an Alternative to Prosecution (Specified Fixed Penalty Offences) (Traffic) Regulations 2025

These regulations establish a system in England and Wales for offering approved courses as an alternative to prosecution for specified fixed penalty traffic offenses.

The regulations define eligible offenses, specify approving bodies (initially including police forces and UKROEd Limited, with police forces losing that power after two years), detail fee allocation percentages among policing bodies, course providers, and UKROEd, and prohibit offering courses to repeat offenders within three years of a prior offense.

The regulations come into effect on March 31, 2025.

The Wildlife Licence Charges (England) Order 2025

The Wildlife Licence Charges (England) Order 2025, effective March 28, 2025, establishes new fees for wildlife licenses issued by Natural England under various Acts and Regulations.

It details fixed and variable charges based on application complexity and time spent processing the application, outlining exceptions for public safety, serious damage prevention, certain conservation purposes and development projects.

The Order also revokes the 2018 equivalent, maintaining the previous order's standards for applications submitted before the effective date.

The Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 (Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance) (Consequential Amendments) (No. 2) Order 2025

This order amends various UK election laws to include the Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA) as grounds for proxy voting.

This ensures equal access to proxy voting for individuals in England, Wales, and Scotland who receive SADLA for disabilities, aligning with existing provisions for similar benefits.

The amendments affect regulations governing proxy voting in several election contexts, including general elections, police and crime commissioner elections, and recall petitions.

The Online Safety Act 2023 (Category 1, Category 2A and Category 2B Threshold Conditions) Regulations 2025

These regulations, made under the Online Safety Act 2023, define threshold conditions for categorizing online services as Category 1, 2A, or 2B. Category 1 applies to user-to-user services exceeding certain user numbers and using content recommender systems or offering content sharing functionalities.

Category 2A applies to search engines exceeding user number thresholds except those focusing exclusively on specified topics.

Category 2B covers user-to-user services with high user numbers supporting direct messaging functionalities.

The regulations stipulate how to calculate average monthly active UK users to determine category fit and came into force the day after enactment.

The Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

These regulations amend the 2010 Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) Regulations.

Key changes include adding the Department of Health and Social Care and the General Council as designated bodies responsible for appointing responsible officers (ROs), clarifying the ROs' duties, and revising the prescribed connections between medical practitioners and designated bodies.

The amendments aim to improve clarity, accountability, and efficiency in the oversight of medical practitioners' fitness to practice.

The Enterprise Act 2002 (Bodies Designated to make Super-complaints) (Amendment) Order 2025

This Order amends the Enterprise Act 2002 (Bodies Designated to make Super-complaints) Order 2004 by adding the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute to the list of designated consumer bodies.

The Secretary of State confirmed the Institute represents consumer interests and meets all specified criteria, enabling it to file super-complaints with the Competition and Markets Authority regarding market practices harming consumers.

The amendment enhances consumer protection, specifically within the mental health sector, effective from April 6, 2025, and applies across the whole of the UK.