Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the publication and laying of Boiler Upgrade Scheme (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 S.I. 2026/368 using a version not signed by a Minister of the Crown was due to human or computer error; and, if the latter, what evaluation they have made of whether the same or similar computer errors will have resulted in other legislation being wrongly published and laid.

The usual procedures within the Department were followed with S.I. 2026/368 and the correct version of the S.I. was signed by the Minister.

However, during the drafting process several versions of the S.I. were created to correct several minor formatting issues, and on examination an incorrect version of the S.I. was then laid before Parliament and published. Whilst the Lawmaker software used to draft S.I.s system may have contributed to the generation of multiple versions of the S.I., it was human error that led to the failure.

The Department has taken steps to address these issues, and has also reviewed improvements to the process to ensure that the version that is sent for registration is clearly identified and confirmed as the correct version.