Family analysis: This News Analysis considers the House of Lords Public Services Committee’s report on reforming the Child Maintenance Service and highlights upcoming legislative changes, a forthcoming consultation and likely directions for future reform.

Law360: The House of Lords has voted to remove a measure from the Pension Schemes Bill mandating that retirement plans commit to certain investments, a step criticised as government overreach by the political opposition and the financial sector.

The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has written to the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, and Minister for Science, Lord Vallance of Balham, calling for urgent reforms to the UK's immigration and visa policies to help attract science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) talent. The letter warns that without changes to the policies, the UK risks missing a critical opportunity to strengthen its research base in science and technology and drive economic growth. The Committee urges the government to address issues such as high visa costs and the immigration system's impact on the fiscal sustainability of universities in its upcoming Immigration White Paper. It also calls for a more pragmatic visa policy, along with flexible funding for universities and research institutions to support key research programmes. The Committee further welcomes the government’s commitment to launch a scheme for recruiting global research talent and recommends that it extend to a wide pool of individual researchers.

The House of Lords' Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (SLSC) has expressed concern about Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 556 which includes two separate sets of changes, relating to the Ukraine Scheme and Skilled Worker/Health and Care visas. It claims the Statement suffered from poor explanations in the Explanatory Memorandum (EM). For the Ukraine measures, the SLSC claims the EM did not explain a key parallel policy change. It also states other areas of rationale for the policy are inadequate or unconvincing. In relation to the health and care measures, the SLSC drew attention to the lack of impact information which makes it impossible for Parliament to carry out its scrutiny function properly. It also highlighted elements of information missing from the EM, including any explanation for the lack of a consultation.

The House of Lords Committee has launched a call for evidence, inviting all interested individuals and organisations to offer their views on the impact and effectiveness of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA 2015). The call seeks to look at the impact of the MSA 2015 and whether it accomplished its goals, how the Act's provisions have been carried out, how current political developments impact the Act and whether the Act needs to be improved. The deadline for submission will close  at 10.00 am on Wednesday 27 March 2024.

The House of Lords’ Science and Technology Committee (‘the Committee’) has written to the Home Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Minister of Science expressing concerns about the UK's immigration and visa policy for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) talent. The Committee argues that current policies, including high up-front visa costs and immigration uncertainties, are hindering the UK's competitiveness in the global race for talent. Key recommendations include mitigating the burden of the Immigration Health Surcharge by allowing instalment payments, clarifying and expanding eligibility for the Global Talent visa, and reviewing the ban on dependants for postgraduate taught courses due to its impact on university finances and research capabilities. The Committee also calls for improved data collection and analysis to better understand the impacts of changing visa policies on the STEM sector and promote a more nuanced public discourse on immigration.

CASE HUB ARCHIVED—this archived case hub reflects the position at the date of the decision of 30 October 2025; it is no longer maintained. See further, timeline. Case facts Outline CMA Chapter I investigation into suspected anti-competitive information sharing between seven housebuilders in relation to supply of newly built residential homes in Great Britain. Latest development On 30 October 2025, the CMA announced its decision to accept modified commitments from the parties to address its competition concerns (see further details below). Parties • Barratt Redrow plc and its group companies (Barratt Redrow): Barratt Redrow is a FTSE 100 listed housebuilder operating in England, Scotland and Wales. It markets homes under the Barratt Homes, Redrow and David Wilson Homes brands. • Bellway plc and its group companies (Bellway): Bellway is a FTSE 250 publicly listed housebuilder operating across England, Scotland and Wales. It markets homes under the Bellway Homes and Ashberry Homes brands. • The

‘HMOs are, or are usually, domestic premises originally designed for occupation by one family, which have been converted for occupation by a number of separate families or individuals. This process, which almost inevitably involves the sharing of bathing or kitchen facilities, and the use of parts of the premises for purposes for which they were not originally designed, raises obvious potential problems in terms not just of the amenity but also of the safety of the premises. In addition, government and Parliament have seen the need to make special provision in respect of HMOs because of the regrettable fact that it is often persons and families most in need of social protection, including families with young children, who find themselves obliged to occupy housing that, in the main, is likely to be much less adequate than purpose-built flats or houses.’ The Housing Act 2004 (HA 2004) introduced licensing for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). It provides a detailed definition of HMOs and sets out standards of management for this type of property. See:

Houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licensing is the responsibility of the local housing authority (LHA) of the area in which the HMO is located. This Practice Note covers who should apply for a licence, the relevant persons for the purpose of providing notice, who is a fit and proper person, what the procedure is on application, grant, rejection or renewal. It also covers the conditions that must be satisfied by the proposed licence holder, the licence fee and the duration of the licence. HMO licensing is the responsibility of the LHA for the area in which the HMO is located. Licensing is mandatory under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004 (HA 2004) for HMOs that meet the prescribed description and discretionary licensing is available through additional licensing of HMOs under Part 2 and selective licensing of other private rented housing under Part 3 in areas designated by the LHA. In England, new additional and selective licensing designations ,made on or after 23 December 2024 are governed by the Secretary of State’s

A house in multiple occupation (HMO) that meets the statutory test provided for by section 254 of the Housing Act 2004 (HA 2004) must be licensed. This Practice Note covers when a mandatory licence is required, the mandatory licensing conditions and the local housing authorities’ (LHAs) discretionary power to make additional licensing designations. Mandatory licensing HA 2004, Pt 2 places a duty on an LHA to effectively implement mandatory licensing in their district. Discretionary (or additional) licensing applies to other forms of private letting of premises where the LHA deems it necessary. In England, the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018, SI 2018/221 prescribes that mandatory licensing applies to HMOs occupied by five or more persons forming more than one household, regardless of the number of storeys. In Wales, the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Descriptions) (Wales) Order 2006, SI 2006/1712 still limits mandatory licensing to HMOs of three or more storeys occupied by five or more persons forming two or more households. Additional licensing schemes

This Practice Note discusses the sanctions in place for those who do not comply with the houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) licensing regime. It sets out criminal offences arising from breaches of the licensing regime. It explains the different sanctions that can be put in place for HMO offences such as failure to obtain a licence, breach of a licensing condition or acting in breach of a banning order. These include interim management orders (IMOs), final management orders (FMOs), and rent repayment orders (RROs), financial penalties or banning orders. It covers the process of applying sanctions together with rights of appeal. Enforcement of the HMO licensing regime is the responsibility of the local housing authority (LHA) of the area in which the HMO is located. See Practice Notes: Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)—applying for a licence and Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs)—sanctions. There are a number of infractions of the licensing regime that may attract civil or criminal sanctions. The LHA has discretion as to the method of enforcement

The House of Commons Library has published a briefing on advancing Arbitration Bill [HL] 2024-25 to modernise Arbitration Act 1996. The Bill, which completed its Lords stages on 6 November 2024, aims to amend the Arbitration Act 1996 in line with Law Commission recommendations. Key amendments were made in the House of Lords on 11 September 2024, particularly regarding leave to appeal decisions on staying legal proceedings. The legislation seeks to bolster the UK's position as a leading seat of arbitration by modernising the existing framework. The Bill's provisions will extend to England and Wales and Northern Ireland, reflecting the government's commitment to enhancing the UK's arbitration landscape. The Bill will undergo a second reading in the House of Commons on 29 January 2025.