The Social Security (Contributions) (Amendment No. 5) Regulations 2025, effective April 28, 2025, amend the 2001 Social Security (Contributions) Regulations.

These amendments exclude payments made under the Horizon Shortfall Scheme Appeals from earnings calculations used to determine Class 1 National Insurance contributions.

The regulations were created under the authority of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 and the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992, with concurrence from the Department for Communities.

This order implements the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 across the UK. It mandates information sharing and review processes by UK law enforcement bodies regarding Level 2 disclosures, mirroring existing duties of Scottish law enforcement.

It also amends relevant acts to ensure consistency and defines key terms like "UK law-enforcement body." The order addresses payment for services rendered under its provisions and outlines guidance issuance by the Scottish Ministers.

The Gangmasters (Licensing Conditions) (Amendment) (Fees) Rules 2025, effective April 28th, 2025, revise fees for gangmaster licences in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

These rules amend the Gangmasters (Licensing Conditions) Rules 2009, increasing application, renewal, and inspection fees across several bands depending on annual turnover.

Consultation with the relevant Northern Ireland department occurred, and transitional provisions address applications and renewals already in progress.

The National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2025, effective April 1, 2025, increase the UK's national living wage and minimum wage rates.

The national living wage rises from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour; the rate for 18-20 year olds increases from £8.60 to £10.00; the rate for under-18s rises from £6.40 to £7.55; and the accommodation offset increases from £9.99 to £10.66 per day.

These changes apply across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, amending the 2015 National Minimum Wage Regulations.

These regulations amend the 2013 regulations governing Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Jobseeker’s Allowance, and Employment and Support Allowance claims and payments.

The key change prioritizes deductions for child maintenance over other deductions.

The regulations apply to England, Wales, and Scotland and are in effect from April 30, 2025, to April 30, 2026.

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.

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.

These regulations, effective April 6th, 2025, amend the 1994 Statutory Maternity Pay regulations concerning compensation for small employers.

They increase the additional payment small employers receive from 3% to 8.5% of statutory maternity pay.

This change applies across the UK, with specific provisions for Northern Ireland.

The amendment is based on a pre-determined formula and is projected to have minimal impact on the private, voluntary, or community sectors.

These regulations amend existing UK legislation to incorporate statutory neonatal care pay, as introduced by the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023.

The amendments update the Statutory Payment Schemes (Electronic Communications) Regulations 2002 and Income Tax legislation (Pay As You Earn Regulations 2003 and Construction Industry Scheme Regulations 2005) to include references and administrative processes related to this new parental benefit.

The changes streamline administration and ensure consistent legal treatment of statutory neonatal care pay.

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.

The Social Security (Contributions) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2025, effective April 6th, 2025, amend the 2001 Social Security (Contributions) Regulations.

Specifically, they modify the reporting requirements for Real Time Information (RTI) employers.

The amendment clarifies that employers must report earnings information to HMRC unless employee earnings fall below either the lower earnings limit or the secondary threshold, whichever is lower.

This ensures consistent reporting even when the secondary threshold is below the lower earnings limit.

A Tax Information and Impact Note was deemed unnecessary due to the absence of substantive tax policy changes.

The Income Tax (Pay As You Earn) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, effective April 6, 2025, amend the 2003 PAYE Regulations.

Key changes include defining a 'secondary threshold' aligned with the 1992 Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act and modifying regulations 47(2), 48(2), 49C(2), and 49D(2) to use either the lower earnings limit or the secondary threshold (whichever is lower) for initial payments.

The amendments aim to enhance clarity and consistency in income tax deduction calculations.

The National Health Service Pension Schemes (Amendment) Regulations 2025 amend multiple NHS pension scheme regulations, primarily correcting errors and inconsistencies, updating tax provisions following the abolition of the lifetime allowance, improving leave provision, and enhancing calculation accuracy.

These changes affect various NHS pension schemes introduced in 1995, 2000, 2008, and 2015, with several provisions applied retrospectively.

The Social Security (Contributions) (Re-rating) Consequential Amendment Regulations 2025, effective April 6th, 2025, amend the Social Security (Contributions) Regulations 2001.

Specifically, the amendment increases the Class 2 National Insurance contribution rate for share fishermen from £4.10 to £4.15.

These changes are consequential to annual adjustments to national insurance rates and are based on pre-determined indexation formulas.

A Tax Information and Impact Note was not prepared due to the routine and predetermined nature of the adjustments.

These regulations amend the Teachers’ Pensions Regulations 2010, the Teachers’ Pension Scheme Regulations 2014, and the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (Remediable Service) Regulations 2023.

Key changes include updating references to outdated legislation, adjusting members' contribution rates, altering employer payment dates, expanding the definition of "contracting scheme employer," and clarifying the definition of "alternative amount." These changes aim to improve accuracy, clarity, and efficiency within the Teachers’ Pension Schemes while ensuring compliance with current legislation.

The regulations took effect on April 1st, 2025.

The Seafarers’ Wages (Amendment) Regulations 2025, effective April 1st, 2025, amend the 2024 Regulations.

Key changes include updating the deadline for equivalence declarations from harbor authorities to the first day of the relevant year and increasing the national minimum wage equivalent rates for seafarers across various categories.

These amendments aim to improve seafarer pay and simplify administrative processes.

An existing impact assessment from the Seafarers’ Wages Act 2023 and 2024 Regulations was used; no significant additional impacts are anticipated.

The Taxes (Interest Rate) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, effective April 6, 2025, raise the official interest rate used to calculate tax on employment-related loans from 2.25% to 3.75% per annum.

This amendment modifies the Taxes (Interest Rate) Regulations 1989, impacting the tax liability for individuals receiving employment-related loans with interest rates below the new official rate.

The change aims to update the tax calculation to reflect current economic conditions and ensure fairer taxation on these types of loans.

The Public Service Pensions Revaluation Order 2025 sets the revaluation percentages for public service pensions for the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

It specifies a 1.7% increase based on price changes and a 4.5% increase based on earnings changes.

The order takes effect on April 1, 2025, but for certain specified schemes, it comes into effect on April 6, 2025.

The order covers England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland and is made under the powers granted by the Public Service Pensions Act 2013.

These regulations amend the 2010 Medical Profession (Responsible Officers) Regulations.

Key changes include adding the Department of Health and Social Care and the General Council as designated bodies responsible for appointing responsible officers (ROs), clarifying the ROs' duties, and revising the prescribed connections between medical practitioners and designated bodies.

The amendments aim to improve clarity, accountability, and efficiency in the oversight of medical practitioners' fitness to practice.

These regulations outline the administrative procedures for the UK's statutory neonatal care pay.

They detail employer entitlement to reimbursement (92% of payments, or 100% for small employers), application processes for funding, authorized deductions from employer payments to HMRC, procedures for handling overpayments, employer record-keeping requirements, and information provisions for employees.

The regulations also cover inspection of employer records by HMRC officers, dispute resolution mechanisms and information requests related to entitlement.

These regulations, effective April 6, 2025, extend statutory neonatal care pay eligibility under the Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 to individuals working abroad, mariners, and those employed on the continental shelf.

The regulations specify conditions for eligibility, including employment location, employer liability for national insurance contributions, and periods of employment in the EEA. They also clarify the treatment of individuals under existing UK and EU social security legislation and establish procedures for compliance with time limits, particularly for those temporarily outside of the UK.

The regulations implement comprehensive changes across UK legislation to accommodate the new neonatal care leave and pay entitlements established by the Neonatal Care Act 2023.

The amendments span multiple areas including social security, employment benefits, pension schemes, and various public sector regulations, ensuring proper integration of neonatal care leave rights with existing statutory frameworks.

This Order of Council approves amendments to the Veterinary Surgeons and Veterinary Practitioners (Registration) Regulations 2014, increasing registration and retention fees by approximately 4%, effective April 1st, 2025.

The amendments, made by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, are detailed in the Schedule and replace Part 4 of the 2014 Regulations.

The previous regulations are revoked.

The Universal Credit (Work-Related Requirements) In Work Pilot Scheme (Extension) Order 2025 extends an existing pilot program testing mandated work requirements for employed Universal Credit claimants.

The extension, effective February 19, 2025, covers England, Wales, and Scotland, and continues the scheme for another twelve months.

The order leverages existing legislation and claims to have a non-significant impact, foregoing a full impact assessment.

This decision allows for continued data collection and evaluation of policy effectiveness.

These regulations amend the 2012 Early Years Foundation Stage (Welfare Requirements) Regulations to update the date referenced in regulation 3 to February 10, 2025.

This change is in response to a revised Qualifications Document outlining updated training and qualification requirements for early years providers.

The update facilitates the introduction of an experience-based route for early years practitioners to gain Level 3 status, impacting staff:child ratios.

The changes affect early years providers in England and Wales and are backed by the Childcare Act 2006.

The Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority Regulations 2025 establish a new combined county authority for Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, and North East Lincolnshire. The regulations create a directly elected mayoral position and grant significant powers over economic development, transport, housing, and planning.

The authority receives functions previously held by the Homes and Communities Agency, along with powers to establish development corporations, implement transport schemes, and coordinate strategic planning across the region.

These regulations govern the transfer of specified Ministry of Defence Police employees to the Civil Nuclear Police Authority on April 1, 2025.

The regulations ensure employment protection, mirroring provisions in the 2006 Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE), covering contracts, rights, and liabilities.

They also address the transition of Ministry of Defence Police members into the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, and incorporate modifications regarding pension schemes.

The Devon and Torbay Combined County Authority Regulations 2025 establish a new combined authority covering Devon and Torbay, granting it significant powers over transport, housing, regeneration, and economic development.

The authority gains concurrent powers with existing councils in areas including highway management, public transport, and strategic planning, while becoming the primary authority for local transport planning.

The regulations ensure democratic accountability through a carefully structured voting system and require consent from constituent councils for key decisions, particularly those involving financial commitments or compulsory land acquisition.