Statutory Instruments with Clear Reports
23 February 2026
SL(6)744 – The Online Safety Act 2023 (Exempt User-to-User and Search Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Procedure: Senedd approval procedure
The Online Safety Act 2023 (Exempt User-to-User and Search Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (‘the Regulations’) amend the Online Safety Act 2023 (“the 2023 Act”).
The purpose of the Regulations is to remove references, in paragraph 36 of Schedule 1 to the 2023 Act, to provisions of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 (‘the 2000 Act’) which are repealed by paragraph 14(2) of Schedule 4 to the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (‘the 2022 Act’), and to replace them with references to further education and training that will fall within the remit of the Education and Training Inspectorate for Wales (Estyn) under the provisions of section 57(1)(a) to (c) of the 2022 Act.
Parent Act: Online Safety Act 2023
Date Made:
Date Laid: 03 February 2026
Coming into force date: 01 April 2026
Statutory Instruments with Clear Reports
23 February 2026
Procedure: No Procedure
This Order appoints 31 March 2026 as the day on which the the Code of Practice on Quality Assurance and Performance Management, Escalating Concerns and Closure of Regulated Care and Support Services (Appointed Day) (Wales) Order 2026 comes into force.
Parent Act: Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
Date Made: 03 February 2026
Date Laid: 06 February 2026
Coming into force date: 31 March 2026
Statutory Instruments with Clear Reports
23 February 2026
SL(6)756 – The Social Care Wales (Proceedings before Panels) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Procedure: Senedd annulment procedure
These Regulations amend the Social Care Wales (Proceedings before Panels) Regulations 2016 (“the 2016 Regulations”), which make provision about proceedings before fitness to practise panels and interim order panels.
Interim orders imposed by the regulator are a means to enable temporary restrictions to be applied to a registered person’s registration while investigations are undertaken into fitness to practise allegations made against that person. These Regulations amend the 2016 Regulations to allow an interim order to be extended, for a period of up to 18 months in total from the date it was first made, without a hearing, in specified circumstances.
This reflects a change to be made to section 147 of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 by section 19(2) of the Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025. The Regulations are designed to ensure that the 2016 Regulations are consistent with section 147 as amended and “provide more flexibility to Social Care Wales (‘SCW’) in its role as the workforce regulator and specifically while reviewing interim orders in fitness to practise proceedings” (as explained in the Explanatory Memorandum to these Regulations, at para. 1.3).
Parent Act: Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016
Date Made: 04 February 2026
Date Laid: 06 February 2026
Coming into force date: 01 April 2026
Statutory Instruments with Clear Reports
23 February 2026
SL(6)760 – The Cancellation of Student Loans for Living Costs Liability (Wales) Regulations 2026
Procedure: Senedd annulment procedure
These Regulations provide for up to £1,500 of a full-time undergraduate student’s living costs loan (also known as a maintenance loan) for academic year 2026/27 to be cancelled in certain circumstances.
When a cancellation is applied, the balance of a loan will be reduced by the appropriate amount the day after a borrower’s first repayment is made.
A student can only receive a partial cancellation once; they cannot receive a partial cancellation in respect of academic year 2026/27 if they have already received a cancellation in respect of any previous academic year. A student will not be entitled to a partial cancellation if there are any outstanding charges or penalties or they are in breach of their loan agreement or any regulations made under section 22 of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998.
Parent Act: Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998
Date Made: 06 February 2026
Date Laid: 09 February 2026
Coming into force date: 01 August 2026