Department for Transport · Original source
Accessibility improvements are being rolled out across UK aviation to prevent damage to disabled passengers' wheelchairs and give airline and airport staff better training, the Department for Transport says. More than 1,000 wheelchairs were damaged in transit in 2023. The changes follow recommendations from Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and include a standardised wheelchair battery and handling form introduced in March and a planned trial of a digital platform for sharing support needs before travel.
Northern Ireland Office · Original source
The government is strengthening the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill with a package of amendments as it reaches House of Commons Committee Stage on 19 October. Changes include deadlines for public bodies to hand information to a reformed Legacy Commission and regular inspections of its work, alongside protections for veterans from repeated investigations and cold calling. Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant said the Bill would deliver the unfinished business of the Good Friday Agreement. It is expected to complete its Commons passage on 20 October.
Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade · Original source
Industrial Strategy Jobs Plans for Professional and Business Services and Construction, published with the Department for Work and Pensions, commit to 22,400 new under-25 apprenticeships a year in professional and business services and 40,000 construction placements annually. Plans for Digital and Technologies and Defence follow later this week, with defence apprenticeship programmes to support at least 14,000 people a year by 2035. The plans come ahead of the final Milburn review into young people and employment.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · Original source
Drivers in England, Scotland and Wales will get new rights to challenge unfair private parking charges under a Private Parking Code of Practice laid in Parliament on 20 October, including 5 minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave. Charges will be cancelled on appeal for honest mistakes or emergencies, capped at £20 for minor slip-ups, and the maximum charge is frozen at £100. Car clocking by dealers will also become a banned practice.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency · Original source
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a UK-wide consultation, run jointly with Northern Ireland's Department of Health, on allowing schools to buy and keep spare adrenaline nasal sprays for children at risk of anaphylaxis. Schools can already hold spare adrenaline auto-injectors, and around 20% of serious allergic reactions to food happen in a school setting. Around 8% of UK children and young people have a food allergy. The eight-week consultation closes on 14 December 2026.
Department for Transport · Original source
The government has launched measures against antisocial behaviour on public transport, including fines on buses and a national campaign against 'loudcasting' on trains. New guidance supports local transport authorities in England, whose powers under the Bus Services Act 2025 came into force on 5 August 2026, to issue fixed penalties of up to £100 for loud music, littering, vaping and threatening behaviour. Rail passengers who refuse to stop when asked can be removed or fined up to £1,000.
