Government Response: The Agricultural Tenancies (Requests for Landlord’s Consent or Variation of Terms) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Technical scrutiny points 1 and 2:                                    The Welsh Government notes the points raised and we will investigate with the SI Registrar the possibility of making the change by correction slip. Nevertheless, the Welsh Government considers that neither point renders the instrument defective nor prevents a reader from understanding the intended meaning.

Merits scrutiny point 5:                                            The Welsh Government intended to introduce the amending regulations before the end of 2024, however due to unforeseen circumstances, other matters took precedence.

The Welsh Government has given extensive consideration to the potential impact on tenants. As outlined in the Explanatory Memorandum accompanying the 2024 Regulations, these regulations are expected to be relevant to only a very small subset of Farm Business Tenancies. Importantly, the new process is designed to encourage prior negotiation and agreement, thereby avoiding the costs associated with dispute resolution. Furthermore, since the introduction of these regulations, no concerns have been raised with the Welsh Government, underscoring that the risk of any negative impact is minimal.