Browse regulations

Amends the Conformity Assessment (Mutual Recognition Agreements) Regulations to add Switzerland's mutual recognition agreement, include the 2009 Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations and the 2016 Non-automatic Weighing Instruments Regulations under the conformity assessment framework, and establish that 'appointed bodies' can conduct conformity assessments for the 2009 Regulations alongside 'approved bodies'.

Mutual recognition agreements reduce trade barriers by allowing products certified in one jurisdiction to be recognized in another, lowering costs for exporters and consumers. This regulation extends those benefits by adding Switzerland as a partner and clarifying which bodies can assess conformity for dangerous goods transport. Unlike restrictive regulatory burdens, MRAs facilitate commerce while maintaining safety standards — a rare example of regulation that promotes rather than impedes free trade.

The Haiti (Sanctions) (Overseas Territories) Order 2022 extends UN Security Council Resolution 2653 sanctions to British overseas territories, prohibiting travel by individuals designated under the resolution's provisions. It establishes exemptions for territory residents and humanitarian cases, and grants Governors authority to grant exceptions with Secretary of State consent.

While sanctions represent government coercion, this Order implements binding UN Security Council obligations under international law. The targeted nature (specific individuals under resolution 2653, not broad economic controls), built-in human rights exemptions (ECHR, Refugee Convention), and territorial belonging exceptions represent meaningful constraints. Deleting this Order would place the UK in breach of its international legal commitments and leave a sanctions gap without addressing the underlying Haiti situation through alternative means.

A commencement regulation that brings section 14 of the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022 (information about technical education and training: access to English schools) into force on 1 January 2023. It extends to England and Wales.

This is a procedural commencement instrument with no substantive regulatory burden itself. It merely sets the date when an existing Act's provisions take effect. The underlying section 14 concerns mandatory access for technical education providers to share information in schools — which, while potentially raising questions about government-mandated school access, is not the type of EU-derived regulatory burden or gold-plated regulation that this review targets. Deleting this would simply leave the commencement date unset, creating administrative confusion rather than reducing regulatory load.

Food and Feed (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2022 - a Brexit-related statutory instrument that amends multiple food and feed regulations to replace EU directive references with domestic equivalents (Schedules, retained EU instruments), extends certain product approval deadlines (oilseed rape products to 2025), adds new regulatory powers for the Secretary of State regarding undesirable substances in animal feed, and makes technical updates to align EU references with post-Brexit retained law framework.

This regulation represents a missed opportunity for genuine deregulation. While it removes EU directive references, it largely substitutes one regulatory framework for another without reducing compliance burdens on food and feed businesses. The new powers in regulation 15A actually expand government control over undesirable substances. The extensive amendments to Article 3 of Regulation 1831/2003 (additives for animal nutrition) maintain complex authorisation requirements. The UK food and feed sector remains among the most heavily regulated in the world, and this instrument does nothing to address the underlying regulatory density that suppresses competition, innovation, and consumer choice in this sector.

Amends the Local Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 to distinguish electoral procedures between England and Wales. Creates separate ballot paper forms (Form 3A, 7A) for England. England uses simple majority voting while Wales retains the first preference vote system. Applies to elections with polls on or after the ordinary day of election in 2023.

This is a technical procedural amendment implementing the policy distinction between England's simple majority mayoral elections and Wales's supplementary vote system with first preference votes. Deletion would create ambiguity and potential legal uncertainty around which counting method applies in each jurisdiction. The regulation merely clarifies existing democratic frameworks rather than imposing new regulatory burdens on economic activity.

This Order amends the Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) Order 2017 to simplify mayoral elections in combined authorities. Key changes include: reducing the minimum candidates from three to two; removing Part 5 (alternative vote system for three or more candidates); eliminating second preference vote counting; removing references to 'first preference' throughout; and streamlining ballot paper rules and counting procedures. The changes convert the electoral system from one that used the supplementary/alternative vote system to a simple plurality system for combined authority mayoral elections.

This amendment reduces regulatory burden by eliminating the alternative vote system and simplifying electoral administration. The old system's requirement for three candidates, preference voting, and multiple counting stages imposed unnecessary complexity on returning officers and could confuse voters. The simplified plurality system aligns with standard UK parliamentary practice and reduces administrative costs. Deleting this would restore the more cumbersome three-candidate/preference system, resulting in more complex ballot papers, additional counting procedures, and greater potential for administrative error.

This Order amends the Police and Crime Commissioner Elections Order 2012 and related Welsh Forms Orders to implement changes following the replacement of the Additional Vote system with simple plurality voting for PCC elections. Key changes include: removing 'first preference' counting terminology throughout; simplifying voting instructions to 'Vote for ONLY ONE CANDIDATE'; removing provisions specific to three-or-more-candidate elections (Part 4); updating ballot paper forms (substituting Form 8B, removing Form 8A); and updating Welsh language forms. The changes apply to elections where the poll date is on or after 4th May 2023.

This regulation provides essential standardization for Police and Crime Commissioner elections. Without it, there would be no clear rules governing ballot paper format, voting instructions, or the counting process—creating confusion for voters and administrative chaos for returning officers. The changes implement the policy decision to replace the Additional Vote system with simple plurality voting, and deleting this would leave the statute book with conflicting provisions that would disenfranchise voters and invalidate election results. Electoral administration requires precise rules, and this Order supplies them.

Amends section 339A(2) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to increase the cash transaction threshold amount from £250 to £1,000, above which money laundering reporting obligations may apply. Extends to all UK jurisdictions.

Deleting this Order would revert the threshold to £250, imposing greater regulatory burden on cash-handling businesses and individuals. This Order actually reduces red tape by raising the threshold, meaning fewer legitimate transactions trigger reporting requirements. The amendment moves in the deregulatory direction this agency supports.

Sets a £195 fee for applications to appoint a person under s.22(2) or an arbitrator under s.84(2) of the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986. Requires the Secretary of State and Welsh Ministers to conduct periodic reviews at intervals not exceeding five years. Revokes the 1996 Regulations.

This regulation imposes a £195 fee cap that functions as a price control on professional dispute resolution services, potentially protecting professional bodies from market competition rather than serving tenant farmers. The mandatory review bureaucracy adds compliance overhead. The original 1996 regulations were sufficient; revocation of that regime removed a working framework without clear justification for the change. A lower or market-determined fee would reduce barriers for tenant farmers seeking dispute resolution, particularly for smaller holdings where £195 represents a significant proportion of the value in dispute.

The Lancaster (Electoral Changes) Order 2022 abolishes existing wards of Lancaster district and replaces them with 27 new wards, each with specified councillor numbers. It also reorganises parish wards for Halton-with-Aughton, Scotforth, and Slyne-with-Hest. The Order defines boundary interpretation rules and establishes the map held by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England as the authoritative source.

This is a technical administrative reorganisation of electoral boundaries that performs a necessary governmental function. Without such boundary definitions, legal uncertainty would prevail regarding electoral divisions. Unlike economic regulations that distort markets, this Order merely establishes administrative geography for local democracy. It is not EU-derived, imposes no gold-plating, creates no barriers to trade or business, and does not restrict supply in any market. Deletion would create a legal vacuum requiring immediate replacement legislation.

These Regulations are a commencement instrument that brings Section 5 of the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (extending the single justice procedure to corporations) into force on the 21st day after the regulations are made. It is a procedural date-setting instrument.

Commencement regulations are procedural machinery that simply activate provisions Parliament has already authorised. Deleting this would merely disrupt the legal timetable without removing any substantive regulatory burden—the policy choice to extend single justice procedure to corporations was made by Parliament in passing the primary Act. There is no regulatory cost imposed by the commencement date itself.

A commencement order that brings the Subsidy Control Act 2022 into force on 4th January 2023. It extends to all of the UK and is purely procedural—setting the date when the main Act becomes law.

This SI is entirely procedural and now obsolete—the Subsidy Control Act 2022 has already been in force since 4th January 2023. Furthermore, the parent Act itself represents a new layer of government intervention, creating a bureaucratic subsidy control regime with an inspectorate, reporting requirements, and judicial review procedures—all of which distort market signals by picking winners and losers through the subsidy approval process. The proper course is to repeal the underlying Act, not merely its commencement order.

The Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body (Abolition) Regulations 2022 abolish the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body and transfer its functions, property, rights, and liabilities to the Corporate Officers of both Houses of Parliament. The regulations also maintain the Delivery Authority under new oversight, introduce annual reporting requirements on building works and contract recipients, modify funding arrangements for the Delivery Authority, and make corresponding amendments to the 2019 Act and related legislation including the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

While the underlying Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal) Act 2019 represents significant public expenditure, this regulation actually streamlines governance by abolishing the Sponsor Body and consolidating functions into the Corporate Officers, reducing the number of separate public bodies. The annual reporting requirement on contract recipients (including their size and operating areas) adds transparency. Removing this regulation would leave a gap in the governance structure for an ongoing project without eliminating the underlying activity it regulates. The consolidation achieves administrative efficiency without expanding regulatory scope.

The Road Vehicle Carbon Dioxide Emission Performance Standards (Cars, Vans and Heavy Duty Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 is a post-Brexit statutory instrument that amends the 2021 regulations to replace EU regulatory references with UK domestic equivalents. It updates references from the old EU type-approval framework (Directive 2007/46/EC) to the new UK framework (Regulation (EU) 2018/858), introduces definitions for GB type-approval, UK (NI) type-approval, and EU type-approval, and makes adjustments necessitated by the Northern Ireland Protocol. The regulation maintains existing CO2 emission performance standards for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, and heavy-duty vehicles while ensuring the regulatory framework functions post-Brexit.

While this amendment serves a necessary post-Brexit legal function by updating EU references to UK equivalents, it should be deleted as part of a broader review. The regulation extends and maintains CO2 emission performance standards that: (1) increase vehicle costs for consumers through manufacturer compliance burdens passed onto buyers; (2) restrict consumer choice by making certain vehicle types economically unviable; (3) represent classic regulatory intervention that distorts market signals. The UK's historical dominance in automotive manufacturing came from free markets, not emission mandates. Post-Brexit regulatory independence should mean reducing, not preserving, such burdens. The underlying policy goal of reduced emissions is better achieved through market mechanisms rather than mandates that distort competition and raise entry barriers for smaller manufacturers.

The Rushcliffe (Electoral Changes) Order 2022 reorganises electoral wards for the borough of Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire, abolishing existing wards and creating 24 new ones with specified councillor numbers. It also reorganises parish wards for Bingham, Cropwell Butler, and Radcliffe on Trent. The Order is made by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England under section 59(1) of the Act.

This Order is a routine administrative redistribution of electoral boundaries. It imposes no costs on businesses, creates no compliance burdens, restricts no trade, and generates no bureaucratic barriers to economic activity. Local government elections require defined wards to function — without such boundary orders, democratic governance at the local level could not operate. Unlike EU-derived regulations that restrict trade or financial rules that impede the City, this is neutral administrative machinery for electoral organisation that does not interfere with market activity or individual liberty.