These Regulations lower the minimum age for obtaining a train driving licence in Great Britain from 20 to 18 years.

While permitting younger drivers on the general rail network, the instrument prohibits anyone under 20 from driving within the British Channel Tunnel zone, which includes the tunnel itself and specific lines to Ashford International and Dollands Moor.

These rules apply to the Office of Rail and Road as the licensing authority, as well as railway undertakings and infrastructure managers who are prohibited from deploying underage drivers in the specified tunnel zone.

This Statutory Instrument, the National Employment Savings Trust (Amendment) Order 2026, amends the National Employment Savings Trust Order 2010 to introduce greater flexibility in how pension benefits are paid from the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST).

The Order empowers the Trustee to offer members the option of receiving a drawdown pension and modifies benefit payment options upon a member's death to allow for a dependants' scheme pension or a drawdown pension paid to a dependant, nominee, or successor, incorporating terminology defined in the Finance Act 2004.

These Rules amend the existing 2013 procedural rules governing the Property Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, primarily to integrate the jurisdiction created by the Renters' Rights Act 2025 concerning residential property disputes and new penalties, while also clarifying the scope of the Tribunal’s authority to make costs orders in specific Housing Act 1988 penalty appeals.

These regulations establish joint and several liability for National Insurance contributions (NICs) within labour supply chains involving umbrella companies.

They direct that recruitment agencies or end-clients must pay unpaid Class 1 NICs if the umbrella company employing a worker fails to do so.

The rules apply to 'relevant parties'—typically the agency closest to the client in the contractual chain—and include provisions to prevent avoidance through 'purported' umbrella companies or fraudulent documentation.

The regulations affect recruitment businesses, umbrella companies, and various clients across the United Kingdom who engage workers via intermediaries.

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).

These Regulations increase the lump sum compensation amounts payable to individuals suffering from certain dust-related diseases, such as pneumoconiosis and diffuse mesothelioma, or to their dependants.

They apply to cases in England, Wales, and Scotland where a person first meets the entitlement conditions on or after 1 April 2026.

The instrument raises specific statutory payment limits and replaces the payment tables in the 1988 Regulations to reflect a 3.8% increase across all categories of age and disability percentage.

These Regulations establish the legal definition of 'relevant family members' eligible to interact with the Armed Forces Commissioner and manage the transfer of functions from the Service Complaints Ombudsman to the Commissioner.

Effective 1 April 2026, the instrument replaces references to the Ombudsman with the Commissioner across existing service complaint and labor regulations, including the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000.

It applies to individuals subject to service law in the UK and their defined relatives, ensuring that pending cases and prior decisions are transitioned to the new office.

This instrument increases the statutory hourly pay rates for workers across the United Kingdom effective from 1 April 2026.

It raises the National Living Wage for those aged 21 and over, as well as the National Minimum Wage rates for workers aged 18 to 20, workers under 18, and apprentices.

The regulations also adjust the daily limit that an employer can offset against a worker's minimum wage pay when providing living accommodation.