Q&As

Q&As

The Q&As in this subtopic seek to address common questions faced when dealing with Public Law matters.

The Q&As supplement and link to further reading, but are intentionally short. It is anticipated that a brief Q&A will be most helpful when you need a quick overview of an issue and its likely impact. This might arise, for example, for lawyers needing to provide advice, business development or training at short notice.

The Q&A content is date stamped. This date provided is the original publication date and the Q&A states the law on that date.

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Latest Public Law News

JCSI publishes 29th report of session 2024–25

The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments (JCSI) published its twenty-ninth report of session 2024–25 which reported two statutory instruments (SI) for procedural and legal deficiencies. The following instruments were drawn to the special attention of the Committee: The Police (Conduct, Performance and Complaints and Misconduct) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/558, for failing to follow proper legislative practice by not consulting the SI Registrar on correcting defective instruments. Additionally, the Wireless Telegraphy (Spectrum Trading and Register) (Amendment) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/571 was reported for a potential vires issue, stemming from the failure to cite the specific enabling power under section 31(2) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 in its preamble.

Home Office issues guidance on Foreign Influence Registration Scheme

The Home Office has published guidance on the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) which came into force on 1 July 2025 under part 4 of the National Security Act 2023. FIRS aims to protect national safety and interests by improving the understanding of activity taking place in the UK at the instruction of foreign states or certain foreign state‑controlled organisations. The scheme requires individuals and organisations to register arrangements with foreign powers and certain foreign power-controlled entities where they are directed to carry out certain activities in the UK. Registerable arrangements (including pre-existing arrangements which are still active) must be registered within specific deadlines. The scheme includes exemptions for recognised news publishers, legal professionals, diplomats and their families, and UK government arrangements. Non-compliance constitutes a criminal offence. The Home Office has published comprehensive guidance for different sectors including academia, business, charities, defence and media.

SLSC publishes 29th report of session 2024–25

The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (SLSC) has published its 29th Report of Session 2024–25, drawing special attention to two draft instruments. The first, Draft Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Suitability for Fixed Term Recall) Order 2025, proposes mandating a 28-day fixed term recall for offenders serving under four-year sentences (18 years or over), aiming to free up 1,400 prison places by November 2025. The second instrument, the Draft Online Safety Super-Complaints (Eligibility and Procedural Matters) Regulations 2025, outlines a framework for making super-complaints to the Office of Communications about systemic online safety issues, including stringent eligibility criteria and a cap of one complaint per six-month period.