Two thirds of migrant nursing staff are considering leaving the UK due to cost of living pressures, according to a recent Royal College of Nursing (RCN) report. This is based on a survey of 3,000 international nursing staff. The report also highlights the impact of ‘no recourse to public funds’ (NRPF), a rule that denies migrants on temporary visas, such as the Health and Care Worker visa, access to benefits. It calls for the rule to be scrapped. Migrant nursing staff twice as likely to be in financial difficulty than domestic colleagues, leading to potential mass exodus of staff.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has published a report examining the exploitation of internationally educated nursing staff working in adult social care across the UK. Based on 383 cases reported to the RCN’s Member Support Services between January 2023 and December 2025, the report identifies 1,280 separate incidents. It finds that workers’ reliance on employer sponsorship under the Health and Care Worker visa route can increase their vulnerability to exploitation.

Responsible Designer: Generally NPP Designers and Operators do not have all the detailed, specialised knowledge required of all the systems and components important to nuclear and industrial safety. They may therefore assign their responsibilities for some parts of the plant to other entities that do have that knowledge. Such entities are not simple subcontractors; they have a formal responsibility for maintaining their specialised knowledge of design and their competence in the detailed design process.

Organisations that provide a specific type of digital service: online marketplaces, online search engines or cloud computing services

Real Estate UK (RE:UK) has published a briefing contending that rent controls reduce investment, worsen supply shortages and can lead to higher average rents over time. The paper cites Scotland's September 2022 emergency rent controls—a 0% freeze followed by a 3% cap—as evidence, noting advertised rents in Edinburgh and Glasgow rose 15% and 14% respectively, against 4.1% in England, with around £700 million of Build-to-Rent investment paused or withdrawn and £2.5 billion identified as at risk of leaving Scotland entirely. RE:UK cautions that 60% of landlords would exit the private rented sector if rent controls were introduced, with 19% of landlords already considering doing so. RE:UK calls on the government to pursue supply-side measures including planning reform, tax stability and reinstating stamp duty land tax support for high-density housing.

Real Estate:UK (RE:UK) has published its response to the Law Commission’s second consultation on reform of Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. RE:UK supports simplification of the existing regime, including a more straightforward contracting-out process and improvements to lease renewal and dispute resolution. RE:UK also supports the inclusion of appropriate green lease provisions on renewal, including energy data sharing and protection of EPC ratings. It calls for reform of Ground F to ensure retrofit, refurbishment and sustainable development are assessed by reference to whether substantial works genuinely require possession of the premises.

Real Estate:UK (RE:UK) has published its response to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)'s consultation on categorisation of higher-risk building work. RE:UK supports greater proportionality within the higher-risk building regime in cases where minor or routine works trigger gateway requirements despite presenting limited fire or structural safety risk. RE:UK raises concerns that the consultation does not adequately address mixed-use buildings and calls for clearer guidance on what constitutes an impact on fire or structural safety sufficient to trigger regulatory escalation.

Real Estate:UK (RE:UK) has published its response to the government’s consultation on strengthening mayoral planning powers in England. It supports greater devolution to help deliver housing, infrastructure and investment, but calls for clear criteria for mayoral intervention and safeguards against duplication, additional costs and delays. RE:UK supports allowing mayors outside London to call in planning applications for 50 or more homes where a local planning authority is minded to refuse permission. It also seeks guidance on how the powers can be exercised before Spatial Development Strategies are adopted, to give developers and investors greater certainty. RE:UK also supports using Mayoral Development Orders to support housing delivery, regeneration and schemes spanning local authority boundaries or multiple sites. It recommends linking Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levies to identified, deliverable infrastructure projects, with rates that take account of development viability, existing levies and other financial obligations. RE:UK also supports allowing Local Development Orders to grant planning permission for development affecting listed buildings, subject to appropriate heritage safeguards.

‘REACH’ is an abbreviated term for Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH Regulation). It aims to protect human health and the environment by ensuring greater safety in the production and use of chemical substances. REACH came into force on 1 June 2007 and applies to all chemical substances. REACH requires companies to identify and manage the risks linked to the substances they manufacture and sell in the EU. This information must be sent to the European Chemicals Agency in Helsinki for registration in a database. Companies must also demonstrate the safe use of the substance and communicate the risk management measures to users. Unregistered substances may not be manufactured or imported into the EU.

The Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) programme is part of the European Commission’s better regulation agenda. As part of the REFIT programme, the European Commission regularly reviews EU legislation to identify excessive regulatory burdens, overlaps, gaps, inconsistencies and/or obsolete measures which may have appeared over time. The programme ensures that EU legislation is ‘fit for purpose’ and aims to make EU legislation simpler, more targeted and easier to comply with, especially for SMEs, which are particularly affected by burdens and complexity of the rules. For more information about the REFIT programme, see the European Commission website.

Real Estate Investment Trust, a tax efficient structure for investing in real estate.

In order to be within the tax regime for UK real estate investment trusts (REITs), a company (or group of companies) must satisfy a number of conditions in each accounting period. These conditions consist of: • some conditions relating to the status and conduct of the REIT entity itself (or in the case of a group REIT, of the group’s principal company), and • some more detailed conditions relating to the balance of business of the REIT (or the group REIT) and a number of other matters These conditions are discussed in detail in Practice Note: REITs—the conditions and tests. This Practice Note looks at what happens when one or more of those conditions are breached. The Practice Notes also covers: • the tax consequences of exiting the REIT regime, and • the methods by which exit can be achieved, including exit by notice For an overall summary of the UK REIT regime, see Practice Note: REITs—summary of the tax regime. Other aspects of the UK REIT regime are covered