The Regulations established the citation, commencement on 12th January 2026, and territorial extent for the forthcoming statutory Code of Practice governing Victim Information Requests under the relevant 2022 and 2024 Acts.

These Regulations officially bring into force on January 12th, 2026, the 'Victim Information Requests: Code of Practice,' which provides guidance for authorized persons on their statutory duties for requesting relevant victim information during crime investigations, as established by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and amended by the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, extending the framework to England and Wales generally, and incorporating service police matters across the UK.

* The Secretary of State exercised powers under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to define 'counselling services' relevant to information requests by law enforcement, establishing commencement and extent provisions.

These Regulations, enacted by the Secretary of State under powers granted by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, formally define what constitutes a 'counselling service' for the purposes of restricting when authorised persons, including police bodies, can request confidential information related to those services, specifying that these services offer psychological or emotional support to improve a service user's mental health, and setting a commencement date of January 12, 2026, primarily for England and Wales.

The Regulations amended the Early Years Foundation Stage (Welfare Requirements) Regulations 2012, the Local Authority (Duty to Secure Early Years Provision Free of Charge) Regulations 2014, the Childcare Providers (Information, Advice and Training) Regulations 2014, and the Childcare (Free of Charge for Working Parents) (England) Regulations 2022 to align them with updated inspection outcome criteria.

These Regulations, enacted by the Secretary of State using powers under the Childcare Acts 2006 and 2016, amend four existing statutory instruments governing early years childcare in England, effective from January 1st, 2026.

The primary purpose is to update various regulations—including those concerning welfare requirements, local authorities' duty to secure free childcare, and requirements for information, advice, and training—to reflect recent changes in inspection grades implemented by Ofsted and to incorporate inspection outcomes from independent inspectorates approved under the Education and Skills Act 2008.

The changes specify which inspection grades trigger requirements for intervention, continuous improvement, or withdrawal of public funding obligations for early years providers.

The Merchant Shipping (Polar Code) (Safety) Regulations 2025 were enacted, implementing updated IMO requirements for polar navigation, extending compliance to smaller vessels, and amending preceding survey, certification, and fee regulations.

These Regulations, titled the Merchant Shipping (Polar Code) (Safety) Regulations 2025, update UK domestic law to incorporate the latest amendments from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Resolutions MSC.532(107) and MSC.538(107) concerning ships operating in polar waters, effectively replacing the 2021 Regulations.

The new rules come into force on 1st January 2026 and apply to United Kingdom ships and specific non-UK ships operating in Arctic and Antarctic waters, extending mandatory safety requirements, including detailed structural, navigational, and training provisions from the Polar Code, to additional categories of ships such as smaller cargo ships, fishing vessels, and pleasure vessels, while also amending several existing pieces of maritime legislation relating to surveys, certification, and training fees.

The Order amended Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 by excluding specific preserved railway byelaws from the definition of relevant land to enable the recovery of unpaid station car parking charges.

The Secretary of State for Transport has made this Order using powers under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 to amend the definition of 'relevant land' within Schedule 4 of that Act, specifically to ensure that land subject to preserved railway byelaws made under the Transport Act 2000 is included, thereby facilitating the recovery of unpaid car parking charges from keepers or hirers of vehicles parked in station car parks.

The Order amended the 2001 Block Exemption Order to remove its sunset clause, revised definitions for connecting services and vehicle classification, eliminated the definition of "working day," and set a new mandatory review schedule beginning in 2031.

This Order, enacted in exercise of powers under the Competition Act 1998, amends the Competition Act 1998 (Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block Exemption) Order 2001 following a recommendation from the Competition and Markets Authority.

The key changes involve removing the fixed expiration date for the exemption, thereby making it permanent unless reviewed, adjusting definitions related to connecting services—specifically regarding trunk bus services—and removing the definition of a "working day" to align with the main Act.

The document confirms the amendments extend across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and sets a new mandatory review date of 1st January 2031.

The regulations prescribed new fees for Public Record Office services, revoked the 2018 Regulations, and introduced specific charges for accessing certain military service personnel records.

The Public Record Office (Fees) Regulations 2025 set out the new fees chargeable by the Keeper of Public Records for providing authenticated copies, extracts, and other services related to records held at The National Archives, effective from February 2nd, 2026.

These regulations supersede the 2018 Regulations, increasing many existing fees and introducing specific new charges related to accessing 'key military service personnel documents' transferred from the Ministry of Defence, while also granting the Keeper powers to remit fees in certain circumstances, such as when no relevant records are found.

The document renamed the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme to the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service and increased fixed fees and hourly rates for controlled work in housing, debt, and immigration/asylum legal aid, effective December 22, 2025.

These Regulations, enacted by the Lord Chancellor, modify existing civil legal aid frameworks by updating procedural terminology and substantially amending remuneration rates for providers.

Specifically, they rename the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme to the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service within the Procedure Regulations and introduce significant uplifts to standard fees, escape fee thresholds, and hourly rates for work across housing, debt, and immigration/asylum categories under the Remuneration Regulations.

The amendments take effect on 22nd December 2025 and apply across England and Wales, with a saving provision protecting remuneration for work initiated under the old system before the commencement date.