← Back to overview

Browse regulations

Search, filter, and sort all reviewed regulations.

delete The Companies Act 2006 and Limited Liability Partnerships (Transitional Provisions and Savings) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 uksi-2009-2476 · 2009
Summary

These 2009 Regulations amend the Companies Act 2006 Commencement No. 8 Order to manage the transition from the 1985 Act/1986 Order to the Companies Act 2006. They establish which legal regime (old or new) governs property of dissolved companies and LLPs depending on whether dissolution occurred before or after 1st October 2009, and include transitional savings for Welsh Assembly Government name restrictions.

Reason

These are obsolete transitional provisions from 2009 that have long since served their purpose. All dissolution events they address are now governed either by the 1985/1986 regime (for pre-2009 dissolutions, which are ancient history) or the 2006 Act (for post-2009 dissolutions). The transitional mechanics, cross-references to pre-existing legislation, and savings provisions are permanently irrelevant — no new transitional issues can arise under these provisions. Keeping them on the statute book creates legal clutter and imposes unnecessary interpretation burdens on practitioners without any corresponding benefit, since the actual substantive law governs regardless.

keep The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Supplementary Provision) Order 2009 uksi-2009-2478 · 2009
Summary

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Supplementary Provision) Order 2009 extends the statutory storage period for certain embryos from 5 to 10 years. It applies to embryos already stored on 1st October 2009 that were 'permitted embryos' intended for treatment services, where the 5-year period had already elapsed. The Order allows licenses to specify storage periods up to the new 10-year maximum.

Reason

This regulation does not impose a burden—it relaxes an existing constraint by extending the maximum storage period, providing greater flexibility for families undergoing fertility treatment. Deletion would harm individuals who have embryos in storage and rely on the extended timeframe to complete their treatment. It does not relate to EU-derived bureaucracy, gold-plating, financial services, planning, or NHS competition, and cannot be characterised as a costly regulatory burden.

delete The European Economic Interest Grouping and European Public Limited-Liability Company (Fees) Revocation Regulations 2009 uksi-2009-2492 · 2009
Summary

These 2009 Regulations revoked certain fee-related regulations concerning European Economic Interest Groupings (EEIGs) and European Public Limited-Liability Companies, replacing them with new Fees Regulations. The instrument contains transitional provisions governing which fees apply to documents and applications depending on whether they were delivered before or after 1st October 2009, ensuring a smooth handover between the old and new fee regimes.

Reason

This regulation was a transitional instrument whose sole purpose was to orchestrate the 2009 switchover from one fee regime to another. Its provisions (regulations 2-4) established one-time transition rules for documents and applications filed around the cutoff date — rules that applied exclusively during a limited window in 2009 and have long since exhausted their purpose. The actual revocation of the old regulations has already occurred. What remains is an empty administrative shell with no ongoing effect, creating unnecessary statutory clutter without imposing any regulatory burden or providing any ongoing benefit to businesses or the registrar.

keep The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 (Foreign Travel Notification Requirements) Regulations 2009 uksi-2009-2493 · 2009
Summary

These Regulations implement section 52 of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008, requiring individuals already subject to Part 4 counter-terrorism notification requirements to notify police before departing the UK for 3+ days, providing detailed travel plans including carriers, accommodation, and return plans. They also require return notification within 3 days of coming back to the UK. Notifications must be made orally at a police station, with timing requirements of 7 days before departure (or 24 hours if excuse exists) or 24 hours if information wasn't available 7+ days ahead.

Reason

While regulatory burden is generally a concern, these requirements apply only to individuals already subject to counter-terrorism notification orders—people whose movements Parliament has already determined can be legitimately restricted due to national security concerns. Deleting this would remove a targeted intelligence-gathering tool that helps police track movements of known persons of interest without imposing meaningful costs on the general population. The notification mechanism is proportionate to the security objective and alternatives (such as less structured reporting) would likely be less effective at achieving the same security purpose.

delete The Local Land Charges (Amendment) Rules 2009 uksi-2009-2494 · 2009
Summary

Amends the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 to double the personal search fee for one parcel of land from £11.00 to £22.00, effective 1 January 2010.

Reason

This rule represents a 100% fee increase on a mandatory search service required for property transactions. Local land charge searches are a government-monopoly service inherent to conveyancing, meaning consumers cannot seek alternatives. Doubling this fee acts as a stealth tax on property transactions, adding friction to an already overburdened housing market. The fee increase has no apparent justification beyond revenue-raising and will be passed on to homebuyers and sellers, discouraging mobility and worsening the housing crisis. No evidence suggests this fee reflects increased service costs rather than simple revenue extraction.

keep The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Disclosure) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 uksi-2009-2495 · 2009
Summary

These Regulations amend the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Disclosure) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 by: (1) removing the definition of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and omitting regulation 2(2); (2) substituting a new regulation 9 prescribing 13 categories of purposes for which enhanced criminal record certificates may be required, including work with children, vulnerable adults, taxi driving, healthcare professionals, adoption/foster care, and social care registration; and (3) inserting new regulation 9A specifying when suitability information on children (section 113BA) and vulnerable adults (section 113BB) must be disclosed. The regulations apply to Northern Ireland only.

Reason

These regulations serve a legitimate protective function essential to safeguarding vulnerable populations. Without criminal record disclosure requirements for positions involving children, vulnerable adults, taxi drivers, and healthcare/social care workers, individuals with histories of relevant offences could gain access to positions of trust and authority over those least able to protect themselves. While any regulation imposes compliance costs, the harm prevented—potential abuse or exploitation of vulnerable persons—far outweighs the administrative burden of background checks. The alternative of no vetting would create unacceptable risk in sectors where trust is paramount and vulnerability is greatest.

delete The Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 (Commencement No. 1) Order 2009 uksi-2009-2500 · 2009
Summary

A commencement order bringing into force specific provisions of the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 on 12th October 2009, including sections establishing the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), its powers, and related administrative structures for regulating parliamentary expenses.

Reason

This commencement order activates IPSA, a regulatory body that creates compliance costs for elected representatives, introduces bureaucratic overhead to parliamentary affairs, and establishes a quango to oversee politicians rather than allowing market or electoral mechanisms to discipline behavior. The 2009 expenses scandal that prompted this legislation was itself a failure of the existing regulatory framework — creating another layer of bureaucracy to prevent recurrence is likely to produce fresh distortions. While transparency is desirable, an independent regulator with enforcement powers is a blunt instrument that suppresses rather than channels political incentives. Removal of this commencement order would prevent IPSA from operating as configured, allowing alternative accountability mechanisms to emerge organically through democratic scrutiny rather than bureaucratic control.

delete The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (Commencement No. 11) Order 2009 uksi-2009-2501 · 2009
Summary

A commencement order bringing specified provisions of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 into force on 30th September 2009. The provisions cover: restraining orders (England & Wales and Northern Ireland), related amendments to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, and associated repeals. This is purely a procedural instrument setting the date for already-enacted provisions to take effect.

Reason

As a commencement order, this instrument merely activates provisions already passed by Parliament in the 2004 Act. It creates no new policy but merely sets a date for implementation. Deleting it would cause only temporary administrative confusion as a replacement would swiftly follow. Critically, the substantive law (restraining orders under the 2004 Act) remains intact regardless. The underlying policy merits could be debated on their own terms, but this instrument has no independent regulatory burden to remove — it is a scheduling mechanism, not a source of legal obligations.

delete The Medicines (Pharmacies) (Applications for Registration and Fees – Amendment) Regulations 2009 uksi-2009-2502 · 2009
Summary

These 2009 Regulations amend the Medicines (Pharmacies) (Applications for Registration and Fees) Regulations 1973 to allow the registrar to accept incomplete pharmacy registration applications and waive fees during a pandemic influenza outbreak. The purpose is to enable registered pharmacy businesses to temporarily provide pharmaceutical services at unregistered premises under arrangements with NHS bodies (PCTs, Health Boards, Local Health Boards, or Regional Health and Social Care Board) to mitigate pandemic effects.

Reason

This regulation represents emergency interventionism that masks rather than fixes underlying regulatory rigidities. The mandatory registration requirements and fees that this regulation waives were themselves created by the state; removing their burden during 'emergencies' merely acknowledges that heavy-handed regulation becomes untenable in crisis situations. If pharmacy registration cannot function during a pandemic without ad-hoc waivers, the system itself is flawed. Furthermore, this creates perverse incentives: pharmacies may defer legitimate registrations knowing waivers may be granted, undermining the regulatory system's integrity. The fees fund regulatory functions; waiving them creates unfunded burdens. A better approach would be to fundamentally reform pharmacy registration to be more flexible and less dependent on extensive paperwork, rather than maintaining an inflexible system with emergency workarounds that undermine regulatory certainty.

keep The Vaccine Damage Payments (Specified Disease) Order 2009 uksi-2009-2516 · 2009
Summary

This Order extends the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 to cover influenza caused by the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus, and removes the age/time condition for entitlement for this specific vaccination. It allows individuals who suffer serious damage from the H1N1 pandemic vaccine to claim compensation under the no-fault scheme.

Reason

Without this regulation, individuals who suffer rare but severe adverse effects from pandemic influenza vaccination would have virtually no recourse to compensation, as proving manufacturer negligence in vaccine injury cases is practically impossible given legal costs and burden of proof. While the market could theoretically provide private insurance, in practice the rarity and severity of vaccine damage claims means no adequate private market would develop. Deleting this would leave genuinely harmed individuals without any remedy, creating a gap in social protection that the free market will not fill.

delete The Business Rate Supplements (Rateable Value Condition) (England) Regulations 2009 uksi-2009-2542 · 2009
Summary

These Regulations set the rateable value threshold at £50,000 for the purposes of section 12(1) of the Business Rate Supplements Act 2009, determining which businesses in England are subject to Business Rate Supplements (additional levies imposed by local authorities to fund infrastructure projects). The regulations came into force on 15th October 2009 and apply to England only.

Reason

Business Rate Supplements impose an additional tax burden on growing businesses, creating perverse incentives to avoid expansion past the £50,000 threshold. This hypothecated levy on rateable value is an inefficient mechanism for funding infrastructure compared to general taxation or private investment, distorting business decisions and adding compliance costs. As a threshold instrument of the BRS regime, it perpetuates a layer of regulatory cost that disadvantages medium-sized enterprises and contributes to the overall burden that drives business to more competitive jurisdictions.

delete Transfer of BRS Revenues: billing authorities which are levying authorities uksi-2009-2543 · 2009
Summary

Technical administrative regulations governing the transfer of Business Rate Supplements (BRS) between local authority accounts in England. The regulations establish rules for billing authorities (whether or not they are levying authorities) to transfer BRS revenues to appropriate revenue accounts, and amend the Local Authorities (Funds) (England) Regulations 1992 to include business rate supplements in estimation and apportionment provisions.

Reason

These are purely administrative transfer mechanisms that exist solely to operationalise the Business Rate Supplements Act 2009 — a tax regime that imposes additional burdens on businesses. The regulations themselves neither protect consumers nor correct market failures; they merely provide accounting machinery for a levy that increases business costs. The underlying BRS regime is a tax on enterprise, and these transfer rules have no independent rationale — they exist only to facilitate the collection of that tax. In a Britain seeking to restore its position as a free-trading, enterprise-friendly economy, enabling provisions for new business taxes should be deleted alongside the underlying regime.

delete The Energy Information (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2009 uksi-2009-2559 · 2009
Summary

The Energy Information (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2009 amend seven sets of Energy Information Regulations (washing machines, tumble driers, combined washer-driers, lamps, dishwashers, household electric ovens, and household refrigerators/freezers). The amendments remove the definition of 'enforcement authority' from each, add a definition of 'local weights and measures authority', insert new regulation 2A clarifying that local weights and measures authorities enforce dealer duties (displayed appliances, printed communications) while the Secretary of State enforces supplier duties (labels, documentation, accuracy), allow the Secretary of State to appoint agents, require publication of such appointments on the DEFRA website, and add a 12-month limitation period for prosecutions with a certificate mechanism.

Reason

This regulation is entirely procedural/administrative, reorganizing enforcement authority allocation between local weights and measures authorities and the Secretary of State. It adds no substantive consumer or environmental protections—all the underlying energy labeling, documentation, and accuracy requirements pre-existed in the amended regulations. The amendments merely shift which bureaucratic entity handles enforcement and add procedural machinery (delegation rights, publication requirements, time limits for prosecution). Deleting this amendment would restore the prior enforcement structure without eliminating any substantive obligations, reducing administrative complexity and compliance overhead for businesses interacting with multiple enforcement bodies. The original 1996-2004 Energy Information Regulations remain in force; this 2009 layer merely complicates the regulatory structure with artificial distinctions between 'dealer duties' and 'supplier duties' enforcement.

keep The Companies Act 2006 (Allotment of Shares and Right of Pre-emption) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 uksi-2009-2561 · 2009
Summary

These Regulations amend the Companies Act 2006 regarding share allotment and pre-emption rights. They modify section 549 to exempt share allotments pursuant to subscription/conversion rights from directors' power restrictions, revise section 560's definition of 'equity securities' to include treasury share sales and clarify the treatment of subscription/convertibility rights, remove section 561(3) (an existing pre-emption restriction), replace section 566's employees' share scheme exception with broader wording, and update cross-references in section 573 and Schedule 8.

Reason

These amendments liberalize share issuance rules in ways that facilitate capital formation without creating obvious harms. The employees' share scheme exception supports employee ownership schemes. Removing the section 561(3) restriction reduces frictions in corporate finance while the pre-emption rights under s.561 remain substantially intact for direct allotments. The regulations make it easier for companies to issue shares pursuant to conversion rights and treasury share sales, reducing regulatory uncertainty at minimal cost to shareholders.

delete The Cosmetic Products (Safety) (Amendment No.3) Regulations 2009 (revoked) uksi-2009-2562 · 2009
Summary

No regulation document provided

Reason

No regulatory text supplied for review