Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 Commencement Regulations 2026 Amendment

The UK Secretary of State has amended the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (Commencement No. 11 and Saving and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026. These amendments introduce savings provisions for specific sections of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 related to the Community Infrastructure Levy, extending their effect until December 31, 2027.

Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

The UK Secretary of State has amended the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999. These amendments require that applications for practical car driving tests must be made by the applicant in person, rather than by another individual on their behalf. The regulations come into force on April 27, 2026.

Scotland Rent Control Exempt Property Regulations

The Scottish Ministers have issued new regulations defining properties exempt from rent control under the Private Housing (Tenancies) (Scotland) Act 2016. These regulations, effective April 1, 2026, specifically exempt 'build to rent property' and 'mid-market rent property' under certain conditions, impacting landlords and tenants in Scotland.

Council Tax Exceptions Wales Amendment Regulations 2026

The Council Tax (Exceptions to Higher Amounts) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 amend the 2015 Regulations to introduce 'Class 8' dwellings. This new class provides an exception from higher council tax amounts for one year for dwellings that were previously non-domestic property but are now considered domestic property.

Council Tax (Chargeable Dwellings and Liability for Owners) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2026

The Welsh Ministers have amended the Council Tax (Chargeable Dwellings) Order 1992 and related regulations. These amendments redefine 'HMO' and 'refuge' for Wales and alter how multiple self-contained units within a single property are treated for council tax purposes, impacting liability for owners and chargeable dwellings.

Scotland Care Regulations Increase Personal and Nursing Care Thresholds

The Scottish Ministers have amended the Community Care (Personal Care and Nursing Care) (Scotland) Regulations 2002 to increase the thresholds for free personal and nursing care. These changes, effective April 1, 2026, raise the non-chargeable amount for personal care to £260.30 and for nursing care to £117.10.

Vale of Glamorgan (Communities) Order 2026 - Electoral Changes

The County Borough of the Vale of Glamorgan (Communities) Order 2026, made on March 17, 2026, enacts changes to community ward boundaries and electoral arrangements within the Vale of Glamorgan. These changes, submitted by the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, will come into force on May 6, 2026, for certain purposes and later for others.

Northern Ireland Parental Bereavement Pay Amendment Regulations 2026

The Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland has amended the Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (General) (No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023 by omitting regulation 37, which dealt with the expiry of those regulations. This action ensures the continued operation of statutory parental bereavement pay for employed earners in cases of child death, stillbirth, or miscarriage.

USPTO Machine-Learning Framework Patent for Cancer Analysis

The USPTO has granted a patent (US12584176B2) to Tempus AI, Inc. for an integrated machine-learning framework designed to estimate homologous recombination deficiency in cancer patients. This framework aims to improve cancer treatment predictions and outcomes by analyzing various genetic and tumor purity factors.

USPTO Patent Grant for Data Generation Device and Learning Method

The USPTO has granted a patent (US12582959B2) to FUJIFILM Corporation for a data generation device and learning method. This patent covers a system designed to create datasets for training neural networks used in product manufacturing processes.