The 2025 Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers’ Compensation) (Payment of Claims) (Amendment) Regulations increase lump sum payments under the 1988 Regulations.

These amendments, effective April 1st, 2025, raise the amounts payable to individuals disabled by pneumoconiosis, mesothelioma, or related diseases, or their dependents.

The increases are approximately 1.7%, rounded to the nearest pound, applying only to cases where entitlement is established on or after the effective date.

The regulations were approved by both Houses of Parliament.

These regulations amend the 2012 Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations.

Several fees are increased, including those for prior approval applications, confirmation of compliance with planning conditions, and section 73 applications.

A new three-tiered fee structure for section 73 applications is introduced.

Transitional provisions ensure that the amendments do not apply to applications or requests made before the regulations' commencement date (April 1, 2025), while delaying the application of the annual fee increase provided for in regulation 18A to April 1, 2026.

These regulations, effective April 6, 2025, amend the Social Security Contributions (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 1999 to incorporate statutory neonatal care pay into decisions and appeals processes.

The amendments are made under the Social Security Contributions (Transfer of Functions, etc.) Act 1999 and are a direct consequence of changes introduced by the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023.

The Lord Chancellor and Scottish Ministers concur with the regulations.

This Order, effective April 6, 2025, increases limits for various awards and payments under UK employment legislation.

The increases, detailed in a schedule, reflect a 2.7% rise in the Retail Prices Index between September 2023 and September 2024.

The Order revokes the 2024 version and sets transitional provisions to manage cases predating the new limits.

Increases apply to compensation for unfair dismissal, unlawful inducement, union expulsion and others as well as guarantee payments.

The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (Commencement No. 4) Regulations 2025 establish commencement dates for several sections of the Act.

Key provisions brought into force include sections relating to identity verification, unique identifiers for companies, and a new offence of failing to prevent fraud.

The regulations also amend previous commencement regulations and update references to commencement dates in related legislation to reflect the actual dates provisions came into force, correcting an error regarding the required publication of guidance.

The Personal Injuries (Civilians) Scheme (Amendment) Order 2025, effective April 7th, 2025, updates the rates of pensions and allowances payable under the 1983 Scheme to civilians injured or killed during World War II. The amendment replaces the tables in Schedules 3 and 4 outlining these rates, adjusting them to current values.

The order applies to England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The Inspectors of Education, Children’s Services and Skills Order 2025, effective March 13, 2025, appoints several individuals as His Majesty’s Inspectors of Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

The appointments are made under the authority of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and aim to maintain standards within these crucial sectors.

These regulations, effective April 6, 2025, amend the Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 2001.

They exclude the qualifying amount of tax redress payments from earnings calculations for Class 1 National Insurance contributions.

This applies to tax redress payments made to members of MPs', Senedd, and Northern Ireland Assembly pension schemes as compensation for tax liabilities arising from a pension calculation method change.