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The Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order 2026

S.I. 2026/478 · Made 28 April 2026

Original text. legislation.gov.uk does not revise statutory instruments, so later amendments are not shown here. Changes made to it are listed under each provision when known.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Made 28th April 2026

Laid before Parliament 1st May 2026

Coming into force 2nd June 2026

The Secretary of State makes this Order in exercise of the powers conferred by section 43F of the Employment Rights Act 1996f1.

Annotations to the whole text

Footnotes

f1

1996 c. 18. Section 43F was inserted by section 1 of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (c. 23). Section 43F(1)(a) was amended by section 18(1)(c) of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (c. 24).

Contents

  1. 1Citation, commencement and extent
  2. 2Amendments to the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014
  3. Signature
  4. Explanatory note

1Citation, commencement and extent

(1)

This Order may be cited as the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) (Amendment) Order 2026.

(2)

This Order comes into force on 2nd June 2026.

(3)

This Order extends to England and Wales and Scotland.

2Amendments to the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014

In the Schedule to the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014f1—

(a)

at the appropriate place insert—

“

Building Safety Regulatorf2.

Matters relating to—

(a) building safety and building standards; and

(b) any activities not covered by (a) in relation to which the Building Safety Regulator has functions, including those under the Building Act 1984f3 and the Building Safety Act 2022f4.

”;

(b)

at the appropriate place insert—

“

Creative Industries Independent Standards Authorityf5.Matters relating to compliance with the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority’s Standards f6 (including in relation to harassment, discrimination, victimisation and risks to health or safety), by individuals or organisations in the film, television, music and theatre industries.

”;

(c)

for the entry relating to Environment Agency, in the second column substitute for the existing entry—

“

Acts or omissions which have an actual or potential effect on the natural environment, including those relating to—

(a) pollution control, regulating industry and waste, radioactive substances and treatment of contaminated land;

(b) water quality and resources, including abstraction of water and flooding from rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and the sea;

(c) conservation and ecology, including the regulation of freshwater fisheries and migratory salmon or trout; and

(d) inland river, estuary and harbour navigations relating to the following locations—

  1. (i)

    Rye Harbour;

  2. (ii)

    Lydney Harbour;

  3. (iii)

    the Medway navigation within the meaning of section 32 of the Southern Water Authority Act 1982f7;

  4. (iv)

    Anglian recreational waterways for which the Environment Agency is the navigation authority under the Anglian Water Authority Act 1977f8;

  5. (v)

    the Thames within the meaning of section 4 of the Thames Conservancy Act 1932f9; and

  6. (vi)

    the principal rivers, upper rivers and the tributaries of the River Wye Catchment in relation to which the Environment Agency has functions under and by virtue of the Wye Navigation Order 2002f10.

”;

(d)

in the entry relating to the Financial Conduct Authority, in the second column after sub-paragraph (u), omit the “and”, and insert—

“

(w) the conduct of providers of a post-trade risk reduction service within the meaning given by the Glossary of the FCA Handbookf11 made by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000f12 as it has effect on 2nd June 2026;

(x) the conduct of cryptoasset businesses registered under the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017f13; and

(y) the conduct of persons subject to designated activity rules made under section 71N of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 by virtue of regulations 14, 15 and 17 of the Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regulations 2024f14.

”;

(e)

at the appropriate place insert—

“

Independent Football Regulatorf15.Matters relating to the functions of the Independent Football Regulator under the Football Governance Act 2025f16.

”;

(f)

omit the entry relating to the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland;

(g)

at the appropriate place insert—

“

The Law Society, including any duly constituted committee of the Law Society and any body or person exercising delegated powers of the Law Society, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Matters relating to the regulation of the following persons and bodies by the Law Society—

(a) authorised persons within the meaning of section 18 of the Legal Services Act 2007f17;

(b) regulated persons within the meaning of section 21 (3) of the Legal Services Act 2007;

(c) licensed bodies within the meaning of section 71 (2) of the Legal Services Act 2007;

(d) recognised bodies within the meaning of section 9 (8) of the Administration of Justice Act 1985f18;

(e) sole solicitors within the meaning of section 87 (1) of the Solicitors Act 1974f19;

(f) registered foreign lawyers within the meaning of section 89 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990f20;

(g) European lawyers registered with the Law Society under the European Communities (Lawyer’s Practice) Regulations 2000f21, as they have effect by virtue of regulation 6 of the Services of Lawyers and Lawyer's Practice (Revocation etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020f22; and

(h) Swiss qualified lawyers within the meaning of regulation 3 of the Recognition of Professional Qualifications and Implementation of International Recognition Agreements (Amendment) Regulations 2023f23 who are registered with the Law Society.

”;

(h)

in the entry relating to the Office of Communications, in the second column—

(i)

omit the “and” after sub-paragraph (f);

(ii)

after sub-paragraph (g), insert—

“

; and

(h) any activities not covered by (a) to (g) in relation to which the Office of Communications has functions.

”;

(i)

in the entry relating to the Scottish Social Services Council, in the second column substitute for the existing entry—

“

Matters relating to the registration of social workers, social service workers and others by the Scottish Social Services Council under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001f24.

”;

(j)

in the entry relating to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, in the second column substitute for the existing entry—

“

Matters relating to—

(a) the functions of the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero as a designated competent authority under the Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018f25; and

(b) fraud and other misconduct related to energy and net zero schemes and programmes administered, funded or sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

”;

(k)

at the appropriate place insert—

“

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.Matters relating to fraud and other misconduct related to science and innovation schemes and programmes administered, funded or sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

”;

(l)

in the entry relating to the Secretary of State for Transport, in the second column—

(i)

omit the “and” after sub-paragraph (c);

(ii)

after sub-paragraph (d) insert—

“

; and

(e) delivery and inspection of local government active travel schemes funded by the Department for Transport.

”;

(m)

at the appropriate place insert—

“

Security Industry Authorityf26.

Matters relating to the functions of the Security Industry Authority relating to—

(a) offences under the Private Security Industry Act 2001f27;

(b) whether an individual or business is fit and proper for the purpose of holding a licence or obtaining approval from the Security Industry Authority; and

(c) conduct which may undermine the regulation of security operatives and approved providers of security industry services under the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

”.

Signature

Kate Dearden

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

Department for Business and Trade

28th April 2026

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order amends the Schedule to the Public Interest Disclosure (Prescribed Persons) Order 2014 (the “2014 Order”).

The Employment Rights Act 1996 (the “1996 Act”) provides protection for workers who suffer a detriment or are dismissed as a result of whistleblowing, by making a qualifying disclosure within the meaning of section 43B of the 1996 Act, in accordance with any of sections 43C to 43H of that Act. Section 43F of the 1996 Act provides that a worker will be protected by the 1996 Act if he or she makes a qualifying disclosure to a prescribed person, reasonably believing that the failure disclosed falls within the matters in respect of which that person is prescribed and that the information disclosed, and any allegation contained in it, are substantially true. The Schedule to the 2014 Order lists the prescribed persons and the matters in respect of which they are prescribed for the purposes of section 43F.

This Order amends the Schedule to the 2014 Order to include the Building Safety Regulator, the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority, the Independent Football Regulator, the Law Society, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Security Industry Authority. This Order also removes the Keeper of Registers of Scotland as a prescribed person and amends the description of matters for certain existing prescribed persons.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no significant impact on the private, voluntary or public sectors is foreseen.