Lord Pack

Policy teams within the department are responsible for ensuring effective legislative practice within their area, including uncommenced legislation and considering when to bring forward commencement orders. Where needed, they draw on advice of legal professionals and our central legislative functions to support their delivery.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology keeps the commencement and implementation of its legislation under review alongside operational readiness and delivery of wider priorities. This work is undertaken alongside established post‑legislative scrutiny processes.

Relevant policy teams keep the commencement and implementation of Acts of Parliament under review in light of operational readiness and wider priorities.

This is conducted alongside established post legislative scrutiny processes where appropriate.

In the past year, we have committed in Parliament to undertake the required post-legislative scrutiny of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. This will include considering the coming into force of measures, where not yet commenced.

The department will, as part of its usual process, continue to periodically review legislation within its area of responsibility as part of policy development.

The department is reviewing our Early Years Register fees policy. As set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to the Childcare (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, which came into force on 9 June 2025, the department has extended the existing alternative annual fee arrangements until 1 September 2027 as a temporary measure to maintain the status quo while the fees policy is being reviewed and considered as a whole.

The Department keeps the status of uncommenced legislation falling within its areas of policy responsibility under review and decisions on commencement are taken in the normal course of policy making.

As set out by the Prime Minister, we will publish our Animal Welfare Strategy this year which will set out our priorities for animal welfare.

Policy teams within the department are responsible for ensuring effective delivery within their area, including the review of uncommenced legislation and considering when to bring forward commencement orders.

Where needed, they draw on the advice of government lawyers to support delivery. This is conducted alongside established post legislative scrutiny processes where appropriate.

When a vehicle is due to be taxed, the DVLA sends the registered keeper a reminder that includes information on payment options, including the amount due if the customer chooses to pay by direct debit. The DVLA’s online vehicle licensing service also includes a link to a table of vehicle excise duty rates which individuals can view before deciding on which payment option to use.

The table below shows the number of new and automatically renewed direct debit mandates for vehicle excise duty payments in 2025/26.

The DVLA keeps all services under review to ensure compliance with all relevant rules and regulations.

When a vehicle is due to be taxed, the DVLA sends the registered keeper a reminder that includes information on payment options, including the amount due if the customer chooses to pay by direct debit. The DVLA’s online vehicle licensing service also includes a link to a table of vehicle excise duty rates which individuals can view before deciding on which payment option to use.

The table below shows the number of new and automatically renewed direct debit mandates for vehicle excise duty payments in 2025/26.

The DVLA keeps all services under review to ensure compliance with all relevant rules and regulations.

UK airspace and airlines are amongst the safest in the world. The UK remains steadfast in our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety. We are confident that the powers gap issue will not impact the UK’s exemplary aviation safety record.

The Department is actively looking at solutions to close or mitigate these gaps at the earliest opportunity to maintain a functioning statute book and provide certainty to the transport sector. We will review whether existing powers on the statute book may be appropriate and look at introducing primary legislation, where needed, when Parliamentary time allows.

All Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) Safety Recommendations are published within the investigation reports to which they relate. In addition, the AAIB provides regular updates on the status of these recommendations on its website. These updates include the responses received, the AAIB’s assessment of those responses, and the progress of any actions taken.

This information is also summarised in the AAIB Annual Safety Review which is published in the second quarter of each year. The review covers recommendations that were opened or closed in the previous year and includes its status at the time of publication as well as expected timelines for further updates.

Policy teams within the Department for Work and Pensions are responsible for ensuring effective legislative practice within their area, including the management of uncommenced legislation, and considering when to bring forward commencement orders. Where needed, they work closely with lawyers and our central legislative strategy team. This work is undertaken alongside established postlegislative scrutiny processes.

Around 50,000 people in England and Wales have opted out of receiving an automatic Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2025/26, although work is still underway to conclude the final position.

The above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

Policy teams within the Department of Health and Social Care keep the commencement and implementation of legislation under review. In line with established processes, we are in contact with the Health and Social Care Committee in the House of Commons to undertake required post-legislative scrutiny of relevant legislation, which includes a review of the operation of the legislation, and highlighting any measures not commenced and plans to commence them.

The Government holds contracts with polling companies to conduct research on public opinion. Savanta is a member of the British Polling Council and as such is required to abide by its rules. The results of polling by Savanta of resident doctors are published online and can be found on their website.

The Government holds contracts with polling companies to conduct research on public opinion. Savanta is a member of the British Polling Council and as such is required to abide by its rules. The results of polling by Savanta of resident doctors are published online and can be found on their website.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office keeps under review the status of any legislative provisions falling within its areas of policy responsibility which have not yet been commenced. Decisions on commencement are taken in the normal course of policy making.

The Treasury keeps legislation under review considering operational readiness, Cabinet Office guidance and wider priorities. Policy teams monitor provisions that have not been commenced and consider when to bring forward commencement orders, drawing on legal and legislative advice where needed. The department remains in regular contact with Parliament to undertake required post-legislative scrutiny, including consideration of measures not yet commenced.

The Home Office keeps the commencement of its legislation under review, taking account of operational readiness and delivery of wider priorities.

This is alongside an established post-legislative scrutiny process. Responsibility sits with policy teams to monitor the status of provisions and determine appropriate timings for when they should be brought into force.

It is vital that police drivers are trained to a high standard in order to maintain public and driver safety. This is why the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 introduced new training requirements and a new test for police drivers, which are required by the Act to be prescribed in regulations.

The Government engages regularly with the College of Policing and other stakeholders to ensure that police driver training continues to meet these high standards. We will give full consideration to making changes if it becomes clear there is a need to do so to maintain flexibility of the standards

The Home Office’s social media channels are a vital tool to inform the public of policy and delivery updates the department is responsible for. The channels are routinely monitored and their use reviewed to ensure content is being produced in the appropriate manor for public consumption. Home Office social media policy is line with the relevant departmental and Government Communication Service guidance, as well as the Civil Service Code.

The Police Crime Sentencing and Court Act 2022, introduced new training requirements and a new test for police drivers. Regulations subsequently laid in 2023 and 2025 prescribed police driver training standards.

The College of Policing also introduced licensing for police driving training providers in April 2024.

The Home Office does not collect data on the number of requests made by police forces to social media platforms, nor the outcomes of such requests.

The department keeps legislation under review, considering operational readiness and wider priorities. Policy teams within the department are responsible for ensuring effective legislative practice within their area, including reviewing uncommenced legislation and bringing forward commencement regulations as required, drawing on expert legal advice to support their delivery.