The government and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) announced that the EHRC's draft updated code of practice for services, public functions and associations has been laid before Parliament. The updated code aims to provide guidance on the Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010) in England, Scotland and Wales, following a Supreme Court judgment in 2025. While the draft code has been approved by ministers, Parliament now has 40 days to consider it before ministers can bring it into force.

The Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, has updated Parliament in a written statement on the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) Code of Practice on Services, Public Functions and Associations following the Supreme Court ruling on single-sex spaces based on biological sex in For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers. The government has confirmed that it received the updated draft on 13 April 2026 and the revised code is intended to be laid for Parliamentary scrutiny in May 2026.

Definitions Environment • all or any of the following media: (a) air (including air within buildings or other structures and whether below or above ground); (b) land (including buildings and any other structures or erections in, on or under it and any soil and anything below the surface of the land); and (c) water (including groundwater and surface water), and any ecological systems or living organisms (including humans) supported by those media. EHS Laws • all applicable laws (whether civil, criminal or administrative), statutes, statutory instruments, directives, regulations, common law, codes of practice and guidance notes (having legal effect) and any instructions or decisions of any court or regulatory authority that relate to EHS Matters. EHS Matters • any matters relating to the Environment, energy efficiency, climate change or health and safety. Environmental Permit • any permits, licences, authorisations, approvals, permissions, certificates, registrations,

Definitions Environment • all or any of the following media: (a) air (including air within buildings or other structures and whether below or above ground) (b) land (including soil and sub-surface land); and (c) water (including surface water and groundwater) and any ecological systems or living organisms (including humans) supported by those media. EHS Laws • all applicable

Definitions Environment • all or any of the following media: (a) air (including air within buildings or other structures and whether below or above ground); (b) land (including buildings and any other structures or erections in, on or under it and any soil and anything below the surface of the land); and (c) water (including groundwater and surface water), and any ecological systems or living organisms (including humans) supported by those media. EHS Laws • all applicable laws (whether civil, criminal or administrative), statutes, statutory instruments, directives, regulations, common law, codes of practice and guidance notes (having legal effect) and any instructions or decisions of any court or regulatory authority that relate to EHS Matters. EHS Matters • any matters relating to the Environment, energy efficiency, climate change or health and safety. Environmental Permit • any permits, licences, authorisations, approvals, permissions, certificates, registrations, notifications, exemptions

Environment, Health, Safety & Quality

Environment, Health, Safety, Security & Quality

Environmental Impact Assessment: The formal assessment process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the environmental consequences (together consisting of the environmental, social and economic aspects, both positive and negative) of a project in relation to planning permissions, consents, licences and other statutory approvals as required by the EIA Directive prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action. The aim of EIA is to protect the environment by ensuring that a decision maker, when deciding whether to grant planning permission for a project which is likely to have significant effects on the environment, does so in the full knowledge of the likely significant effects and takes this into account in the decision making process.

European Council Directive 2011/92/EU (as amended) on the assessment of the effects of certain private and public projects on the environment.

The Town and Country Planning (Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 and the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 both came into force 16 May 2017. The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017 set out the procedures which must be followed to ensure that applications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects fully reflect the requirements of the EIA Directive. The Decommissioning of nuclear reactors is also subject to the Nuclear Reactors (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 1999.

1. European Investment Bank 2. Energy Island Board

The European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group) has published version 3.0 of its green finance definitions, applicable to operations signed from 1 January 2026. The updated framework explains how the EIB Group determines the share of each operation that substantially contributes to one or more of six environmental objectives, drawing on the EU taxonomy and the joint methodologies of multilateral development banks and the International Development Finance Club. It also introduces the term ‘Group Green Finance’ in place of ‘Climate Action and Environmental Sustainability’ and expands the scope of eligible activities to include additional climate mitigation measures derived from the Common Principles for Climate Mitigation Finance Tracking of the multilateral development banks (MDBs) and the International Development Finance Club (IDFC), and the EU Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act. Version 3.0 retains core tracking principles such as credibility, traceability, auditability, and the avoidance of double counting, while requiring alignment with the Paris Agreement and relevant environmental and social safeguards.