Browse regulations

These Regulations prescribe two classes of dwellings (Class A and Class B) for council tax purposes in Wales under section 12 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. Class A covers unoccupied, furnished dwellings where occupation is prohibited by law for at least 28 continuous days; Class B covers similar dwellings where occupation is not legally prohibited. Both classes exclude caravans, boats, properties in probate where no grant has been made or less than 12 months have elapsed since grant, and job-related dwellings. The regulations also amend the 1992 version.

These are straightforward administrative tax classification regulations for council tax valuation, not EU-derived rules or gold-plated directives. They simply categorize empty/furnished properties for tax calculation purposes, with reasonable exemptions for probate cases and job-related dwellings. Deletion would create administrative chaos for Welsh local authorities without producing any meaningful economic liberalisation. The regulations are narrow in scope, locally administered, and represent standard tax policy classification rather than the kind of economic intervention this review targets.

This Order approves modifications to the Association of Retirement Housing Managers' Code of Practice for the Management of Leasehold Sheltered Housing, submitted in December 1997. It grants official government endorsement to this private sector code of practice for retirement housing management.

Government approval of a voluntary industry code is unnecessary state involvement in private sector self-regulation. If the code has merit, the market will sustain it without official endorsement; if it lacks merit, government approval should not lend it credibility it has not earned. This Order dates from 1998, and such approved codes can become de facto mandatory through regulatory creep, used by local authorities and courts as reference points for 'best practice' even when not legally binding. The deletion removes an unnecessary layer of government imprimatur from housing management standards while preserving the industry's ability to maintain its own code voluntarily.

This Order, effective 13th February 1998, amends the Medicines (Pharmacy and General Sale—Exemption) Order 1980 by inserting paragraph 1A into Part I of Schedule 1 across three columns, modifying exemptions for medicines from pharmacy control requirements.

This 1998 amendment to the 1980 principal Order represents regulatory accretion rather than reform. The original 1980 Order already established a complex tiered system determining which medicines require pharmacy supervision versus general sale. By 1998, this framework had been in place for 18 years without systematic review of whether the exemption categories remained appropriate. The amendment was merely additive (inserting 1A) rather than repealing outdated exemptions. Such incremental amendments fail to address the fundamental question: whether Britons are better served by restricting certain medicines to pharmacy-only sale when general retail alternatives could provide equivalent safety with greater convenience and competition. Retained EU-era medicines scheduling, inherited wholesale and amended piecemeal, imposes ongoing compliance costs on retailers and restricts consumer access to safe, widely-used medicines with no demonstrated safety benefit from pharmacy-only status.

Amends the Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997 to modify schedules controlling which medicinal substances require prescriptions. Key changes include: reclassifying insulin preparations for parenteral administration; adding new prescription-only substances (Estramustine Sodium Phosphate, Mizolastine, Niceritrol, Piroxicam Beta-cyclodextrin, Torasemide, Insulin); modifying exemptions/dosages for Hydrocortisone/Clotrimazole or Miconazole, Mebeverine Hydrochloride, Ranitidine Hydrochloride, and Sodium Cromoglycate; and expanding nurse practitioner prescribing authorities for certain opioid laxatives.

Prescription-only classification regimes restrict consumer access to medicines and limit pharmaceutical competition, creating artificial supply constraints. The underlying premise that government must control which substances citizens may obtain without a prescription assumes that alternative mechanisms—product liability law, professional licensing of pharmacists, voluntary industry standards—cannot adequately protect public safety. This regulation also demonstrates the classic regulatory creep problem: once enacted, restrictions expand rather than contract, with new substances perpetually added to prescription lists. The nurse practitioner prescribing additions for co-danthramer/co-danthrusate (strong opioid laxatives) illustrate how regulatory exceptions proliferate rather than resolve underlying restrictions. A free society should not require government permission slips for adults to access medicines whose risks are knowable and whose benefits are established.

This Order (SI 1998 No. 238) came into force on 13th February 1998 and established the statutory objectives for the National Crime Squad, a law enforcement agency. The objectives required the NCS to cooperate with Scottish Crime Squad and other agencies to achieve consistent improvement in operations against serious and organised crime, both transnational crime impacting the UK and domestic serious organised crime, through arrest, prosecution, and disruption of criminal enterprises.

The National Crime Squad was abolished in 2006 and its functions transferred to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), which was subsequently replaced by the National Crime Agency in 2013. This Order no longer governs any existing body. Furthermore, setting operational law enforcement objectives via primary legislation creates bureaucratic rigidity rather than enabling effective policing. The successor agencies operate under different legal frameworks better suited to contemporary operational needs.

The NCIS (Secretary of State's Objectives) Order 1998 established two objectives for the National Criminal Intelligence Service: improving quality of criminal intelligence on serious and organised transnational crime impacting the UK, and improving domestic criminal intelligence to combat serious and organised crime. NCIS was dissolved in 2006 when it merged into SOCA (later the NCA).

The regulation is wholly obsolete — NCIS ceased to exist in 2006 when it merged into SOCA and subsequently the National Crime Agency. An objectives Order for a defunct agency serves no current purpose and adds unnecessary legislative clutter. The underlying law enforcement function continues under successor bodies, but this specific instrument has no legal effect and no regulatory burden to remove.

These Regulations (SI 1998/1359) prescribe three bodies — the Automobile Association, the Cyclists' Touring Club, and the Royal Automobile Club — as representative organizations for road users under section 65(3A) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, governing consultation on temporary traffic signs in England and Wales.

This regulation arbitrarily designates only three bodies as official 'representatives' of road users, creating a closed consultation monopoly that excludes other legitimate organizations. There is no market failure justification for this selection — road users can already form associations freely. The government can consult any relevant body without a statutory prescribed list. The regulation merely confers a regulatory privilege on three incumbents while excluding potential competitors from the consultation process, with no corresponding benefit to road users that could not be achieved through voluntary engagement.

The A4076 trunk road order from 1998 authorizes construction of a new trunk road segment between Haverfordwest and Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, designates the centre line via deposited plans, reclassifies an existing trunk road length to unclassified upon completion, and came into force on 30th January 1998.

This order represents government monopoly over road classification and construction, picking winners and losers geographically. While road infrastructure has natural monopoly characteristics, mandatory trunk road designation by administrative order distorts transport markets, crowds out private infrastructure alternatives, and creates barriers to competitive road provision. The order's 1998 vintage means any practical effects are already realized, making deletion symbolic but representing a commitment to ending government monopoly on trunk road classification.

The Deregulation (Licence Transfers) Order 1998 amends the Licensing Act 1964 to create mechanisms facilitating the transfer of justices' licences for licensed premises. It introduces: (1) section 8A allowing prospective licensees to obtain pre-approval before transfer, enabling them to elect immediate transfer via notice; (2) section 9A establishing interim authorities (28-day temporary permissions) to prevent business interruption during transfer proceedings; (3) section 9B providing supplementary provisions including deemed interim authorities for applications within 7 days; and (4) section 193AA permitting licensing clerks to grant transfers for experienced applicants without requiring full licensing sessions. The Order does not extend to Scotland or Northern Ireland.

This regulation actively reduces regulatory burden in the licensed trade by: (1) enabling prospective licensees to pre-qualify, streamlining eventual transfers; (2) creating interim authorities that prevent business closure during the transfer gap, eliminating a significant economic cost; (3) allowing administrative clerks rather than full licensing sessions to handle routine transfers for experienced applicants, reducing delay and administrative friction. While a 'fit and proper' test remains, the core purpose is deregulatory — it introduces market-friendly mechanisms that reduce transaction costs, minimize business interruption, and allow the licensed premises market to function more efficiently during ownership transitions. Deletion would reintroduce friction and potential business losses during licence transfers.

This Order amends the Licensing (Fees) Order 1978 by introducing two new fee entries: £30 for approval of prospective licensee under section 8A, and £10 for grant of interim authority under section 9A. It came into force on 1st February 1998.

This amendment introduced modest administrative fees (£30 and £10) for licensing activities that themselves restrict market entry. While the fees are cost-recovery rather than punitive, the underlying licensing regime represents government control over who may legally trade in alcohol. These fees, though small, legitimise and sustain a system of market restriction. The real burden is not the fee but the requirement for government approval to engage in lawful commerce. Deletion removes a layer of bureaucratic fee-setting without removing the underlying licensing restrictions, but eliminates an unnecessary administrative layer that adds compliance costs and creates opportunities for bureaucratic delay.

A minor amendment to the Recreational Craft Regulations 1996 that substitutes 'the Department of Economic Development' with 'every district council' in regulation 15(1)(b). This is a technical correction updating the authority reference, effective 28th February 1998.

This regulation imposes no regulatory burden whatsoever — it is purely a technical correction updating an authority reference. Deleting it would leave the underlying 1996 Regulations with an outdated reference to a defunct authority, creating confusion and potential administrative dysfunction without reducing any actual regulatory requirements or compliance costs.

This Order establishes bus lanes on trunk roads in the London Borough of Lambeth, effective February 1998. It defines permitted vehicles (buses, local buses, pedal cycles, taxis, dial-a-ride buses), specifies times of operation, and prohibits vehicles from using bus lanes during specified times unless they are proceeding in a permitted direction and are of a permitted type. The Order includes exceptions for boarding/alighting passengers, goods loading, emergency and service vehicles, and various maintenance activities. It revokes the earlier Lambeth (Bus Lane) (No. 5) Traffic Order 1985 for affected road sections.

While this regulation restricts general traffic use of certain road lanes, it serves legitimate purposes: improving public transport efficiency, reducing congestion by encouraging mode shift, and lowering emissions. The Order is narrowly tailored with specific times, locations, and permitted vehicle categories. Its numerous exemptions prevent unreasonable hardship. Traffic management represents a core legitimate function of local government, and the alternative of unconstrained road access would produce worse outcomes for the majority of road users including bus passengers. The costs of deletion would fall disproportionately on those who depend on public transport.

Technical regulations governing how council tax calculations work when new parishes are created via section 14 orders under the Local Government and Rating Act 1997. They require billing authorities to anticipate precepts from new parish councils, set budget requirement limits, and modify the precept issue deadline from March to October for newly constituted parishes.

Without this regulation, billing authorities would lack statutory guidance on how to incorporate anticipated precepts from newly created parish councils into their budget calculations, creating uncertainty and potential financial mismanagement. The regulation serves as essential coordination machinery between billing authorities and new parish councils—it does not restrict citizens, businesses, or competition, nor does it represent EU-derived gold-plating. It simply ensures the council tax system functions coherently during administrative transitions.

A temporary exemption order permitting Harlow District Council's ground maintenance work to be excluded from 'defined activities' under the Local Government Act 1988, but only for work carried out during 24 February 1998 to 31 March 2000 under sheltered employment arrangements for disabled persons pursuant to the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1958.

This regulation is wholly obsolete - its operative period expired over 25 years ago (31 March 2000). While it served a legitimate purpose supporting disabled persons' employment, it was always a narrow, time-limited exemption for a single council that has no current legal effect. The broader competitive tendering framework for local authority 'defined activities' itself represents the bureaucratic rigidity that should be reformed, and such case-by-case parliamentary exemptions exemplify the patchwork regulation that burdens local government. Retaining this expired instrument on the statute books serves no purpose.

The Birmingham Northern Relief Road and Connecting Roads Scheme 1998 is a statutory instrument authorizing construction of a northern bypass road around Birmingham with associated connecting roads and two specified bridges. It defines key terminology, establishes the plan reference, authorizes the Secretary of State to provide special roads for Class I and II traffic, and specifies that these roads become trunk roads on commencement (12th February 1998).

This scheme was a one-time authorization for specific road infrastructure that came into force on 12th February 1998 — nearly three decades ago. Either the Birmingham Northern Relief Road was constructed (making this enabling legislation now spent and historical) or the scheme was never implemented (rendering it irrelevant). Either way, retaining this on the statute book serves no current purpose. Such road construction authorizations are inherently time-bound; once the infrastructure exists or the project is abandoned, the enabling instrument has no ongoing regulatory function. The planned route, bridge specifications, and deposited plans represent historical facts that no longer require statutory authorization.