Laws of the Land

This Act increased the maximum prison sentence for serious animal cruelty from 6 months to 5 years. It makes the legal system take animal welfare more seriously by giving courts the power to hand out harsher penalties for the worst cases of animal abuse.

This Act changes how business rates (property taxes) are calculated for public lavatories. It aims to make it cheaper for councils and businesses to operate public toilets, making them more likely to stay open and accessible to the public.

The Trade Act 2021 gives the UK government the power to negotiate and manage trade deals with other countries without EU involvement. It sets out the rules for how these agreements work and what Parliament's role will be in approving them.

The Finance Act 2020 is the government's main tax law for that year. It sets out changes to how much tax people and businesses pay, and decides how the government will raise money to spend on public services and other priorities.

This Act allows the UK government to create laws based on international agreements about how to handle legal cases involving multiple countries. It aims to make the process clearer when British people or businesses have disputes with people or companies abroad, and vice versa.

This Act gives the City of London Corporation (the local government body for the Square Mile financial district) additional legal powers to manage its own affairs. These powers cover various practical matters like maintaining infrastructure and delivering local services more independently.

This Act gives Canterbury City Council specific legal powers to govern and provide services in the Canterbury area. It's a local law that sets out what the council can do and how it should operate to serve its community.

This Act makes it easier for struggling UK companies to reorganise their finances and avoid going into insolvency (bankruptcy). It introduced new tools like allowing businesses more time to negotiate with creditors and introduced measures to protect company directors during financial difficulties.

The Defamation Act is a law that protects people from having lies told about them publicly. If someone spreads false statements that damage your reputation (in newspapers, online, or elsewhere), you can take them to court and ask for money as compensation.

The Academies Act 2010 allows schools to become 'academies' schools run independently from local councils but still funded by the government. These schools have more freedom to make their own decisions about what they teach, how they spend money, and who they employ, instead of following council rules.

The Act allows the government to use the Contingencies Fund (emergency money set aside for unexpected situations) more flexibly during crises. It's designed to let the UK respond quickly to emergencies, but Parliament can review and question how the money was spent afterwards.

This Act reforms how councils value nondomestic (business) properties for tax purposes in England. It updates the rules for creating and maintaining the lists used to calculate business rates, aiming to make the system more modern, accurate, and efficient.

This Act makes it simpler for telecoms companies to install broadband and phone infrastructure (cables and equipment) in leasehold properties (flats and shared buildings) without needing permission from every single leaseholder. It speeds up getting highspeed internet to more people, but gives property owners less control over their buildings.

This Act allows the UK government to spend money in advance and make adjustments to its budget before Parliament formally approves the full spending plans. It's a temporary measure to keep public services running smoothly during the gap between one financial year ending and the next budget being confirmed.

This Act changes UK immigration and benefits rules after Brexit. It ends free movement from the EU, introduces a new pointsbased immigration system, and adjusts social security rules so they no longer follow EU law. Essentially, the UK now makes its own immigration decisions rather than sharing this power with Europe.

This Act sets rules about when and how the government can release information about trade agreements and negotiations. It aims to balance keeping the public informed about important trade deals while protecting sensitive business information that could be harmful if made public.

This Act changes how new medicines and medical devices are approved and regulated in the UK. It relaxes some of the strict rules that were previously required, allowing faster approval for treatments while trying to maintain safety standards.

This Act provides maternity allowances (paid time off) specifically for MPs, government ministers, and certain other public officials. It ensures these women can take time off to have babies without losing their income, similar to maternity benefits available to other workers in the UK.

This Act allows undercover police officers and intelligence agents to commit certain crimes (like theft or assault) while working undercover to investigate serious criminals. It sets out rules for when they're allowed to do this and who has to approve it, aiming to balance catching criminals with protecting the public.

This Act allows Parliament to combine two or more government departments that normally operate separately, so they can work as one unified department instead. The goal is to improve how government functions by having related services share resources and coordinate their work more effectively.