On 28 January 2021, there was published on the legislation.gov.uk website The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Order 2021 together with an explanatory memorandum.

The Order:

• Amends the regulatory framework for providers of pre-paid funeral plan contracts, such that providers of funeral plan contracts will generally need to be appropriately authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) when entering into, or carrying out, such contracts.
• Makes other amendments relating to the intermediation and financial promotion of funeral plan contracts, and expands the permitted business of appointed representatives, so that such persons are able to intermediate the sale of funeral plan contracts as either an arranger or an agent.
• Makes various transitional modifications to the ombudsman scheme established under the FSMA, so as to allow complaints made on or after the date on which the Order comes fully into force relating to acts or omissions that occurred before that date to be dealt with by the Financial Ombudsman Service.