Business Diary: UK Regulations - January 2016
Currently, two to three new Regulation entries are added to the Archive each day. Regulation Watch covers business related topics such as new legislation, changes in legislation, consultations and regulatory body announcements.
1st
Business Laws
New Regulation: Under the Companies, Partnerships and Groups (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2015, which came into force on 6 April 2015, small businesses will not be able to file abbreviated accounts for accounting periods that begin or after 1 January 2016.
Start Date: 1st January 2016
EU Laws
Regulator Activity: The EU and Ukraine will begin applying the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA) of the Association Agreement, which will allow easier access to both markets for EU and Ukraine businesses, as of 1 January 2016.
Start Date: 1st January 2016
Business Laws
New Regulation: From 1 January 2016, fishermen targeting certain demersal species including haddock, sole and plaice will be prohibited from discarding any of their catch.
Start Date: 1st January 2016
Rates & Reliefs
Rate Change: The Intellectual Property Office has updated the fee structure for Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications, effective from 1 January 2016.
Start Date: 1st January 2016
4th
Compliance Guidance
Regulator Activity: The Export Control Organisation has published the latest version of the consolidated list of strategic military and dual-use items that require export authorisation to reflect EU changes to controls on dual-use goods, software and technology.
Published Date: 4th January 2016
7th
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Intellectual Property Office has launched a consultation on proposed changes to the registered design service fees.
Published Date: 7th January 2016
8th
Business Laws
Government Scheme: Landlords will be able to carry out right to rent checks from the week beginning 4 January 2016 and the requirement will become mandatory from 1 February 2016.
Published Date: 8th January 2016
11th
Rates & Reliefs
Rate Change: The UK government has published proposed changes to the fees for visas, immigration and nationality applications and associated premium services for 2016–17.
Published Date: 11th January 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The UK government has launched a consultation as part of a review of the operation of the the Security Industry Authority.
Published Date: 11th January 2016
Business Laws
New Regulation: New legislation giving workers on zero hours contracts the right to bring an employment tribunal claim if they have been punished on dismissed for breaching an exclusivity clause in their contract came into force on 11 January 2016.
Start Date: 11th January 2016
12th
Regulation Consultations
Consultation Report: The UK government has published the outcome of the consultation on proposals to improve the enforcement of employment rights to protect vulnerable workers from exploitation.
Published Date: 12th January 2016
Compliance Guidance
Enforcement Guidance: The UK government has published new guidance on what inspections on farms entail and any penalties that may be applied.
Published Date: 12th January 2016
13th
Regulator Services
Regulator Activity: The Competition and Markets Authority has launched a market study to determine whether legal services in England and Wales are working well for consumers and SMEs.
Published Date: 13th January 2016
EU Laws
EU Regulation: New EU legislation introducing new rules on customer authentication, facilitating third party access to accounts and account information, data security and liability will come into force on 13 January 2016.
Start Date: 13th January 2016
14th
Regulation Consultations
IP Consultation: The Intellectual Property Office has published the outcome of the consultation on the UK’s accession to the Geneva Act of the Hague agreement for the international registration of industrial designs.
Published Date: 14th January 2016
Regulation Consultations
Consultation Report: The government has published its response to the consultation on secondary legislation to implement the Unified Patent Court agreement as well as final stage impact assessments.
Published Date: 14th January 2016
15th
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The US Department of Agriculture has published a draft rule as part of a move to facilitate access to the US market for EU exports of apples and pears.
Published Date: 15th January 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched a consultation on how effective current regulatory activities led by DECC and the Oil and Gas Authority are in encouraging innovation in the energy sector.
Published Date: 15th January 2016
16th
EU Laws
Regulator Activity: The EU Council has lifted all nuclear-related economic and financial EU sanctions against Iran following confirmation from the International Atomic Energy Agency has implemented the nuclear-related measures as agreed in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Published Date: 16th January 2016
20th
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Intellectual Property Office is consulting on proposed new EU legislation which will ensure that all digital services are portable within the EU.
Response Deadline: 12th February 2016
Court Rulings
EU Ruling: The EU Court of Justice has ruled that national competition authorities are not bound by the EU whistleblower program and may set their own rules on leniency and immunity programmes.
Ruling Date: 20th January 2016
Regulator Services
Export Services: The Export Control Organisation has amended a number of dual-use and other Open General Export Licences pursuant to changes to the EU dual-use list.
Published Date: 20th January 2016
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The European Parliament has rejected draft EU rules which would allow baby foods to continue to contain up to three times more sugar than is allowed under WHO recommendations.
Published Date: 20th January 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Intellectual Property Office has launched a call for evidence on proposed new EU legislation which will ensure that all digital services are portable within the EU.
Published Date: 20th January 2016
21st
Business Laws
Regulator Activity: The Intellectual Property Office has launched a five-year strategy to encourage innovation and boost the creative sector, which includes stepping up enforcement against counterfeiters and other intellectual property infringers.
Published Date: 21st January 2016
Legal Statistics - Risks
Minimum Wage Statistics: Around 34% of employers are unaware that the use of Salary Sacrifice in employee benefits could result in violations of the new minimum income level set by the National Living Wage, according to Jelf Employee Benefits.
Published Date: 21st January 2016
Court Rulings
EU Ruling: The EU Court of Justice has ruled that online businesses must publicly distance themselves from anti-competitive practices in order to avoid sanctions.
Ruling Date: 21st January 2016
Business Laws
New Regulation: The Scottish government will not incorporate proposals to require owners of non-domestic property to carry out energy efficiency improvements before selling or leasing the property with the Energy Performance Certificate regime and has instead drafted the proposals as a separate statutory instrument.
Published Date: 21st January 2016
22nd
Crackdowns & Amnesty
Labour Crackdown: The UK government has ratified a legally binding international agreement which sets out measures to tackle forced labour and strengthen protection of victims.
Published Date: 22nd January 2016
25th
Regulator Services
Register Services: Companies House has updated its new beta service to allow users to access the register of disqualified directors.
Published Date: 25th January 2016
Regulator Services
Immigration Services: The UK government has expanded its Registered Traveller service to Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.
Published Date: 25th January 2016
Regulator Services
Export Services: The Export Control Organisation is inviting exporters to attend a workshop on the design of a new cross-government digital platform for import and export licensing to replace the SPIRE service.
Event Date: 25th January 2016
27th
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The EU Commission has tabled legislative proposals which will, among other things, make vehicle testing more independent and increase surveillance of cars already in circulation.
Published Date: 27th January 2016
28th
Regulation Consultations
Consultation Report: The UK government has announced that it will introduce new regulations establishing limited subcontracting liability in the construction sector in line with the requirements of the Posted Workers Enforcement Directive.
Published Date: 28th January 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Intellectual Property Office has published the outcome of the consultation on legal reforms with respect to unjustified or groundless threats to sue for intellectual property rights infringement.
Published Date: 28th January 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is consulting on the implementation of new EU rules which will make it easier for victims to claim compensation for breaches of EU competition law.
Response Deadline: 9th March 2016
29th
Regulator Services
Procurement Services: The EU Commission has released a revised proposal for a new tool aimed at tackling discrimination of EU companies in procurement markets across the world.
Published Date: 29th January 2016
Compliance Guidance
Export Guide: The UK government has published new guidance for UK exporters and service providers on the procurement channel for exporting nuclear goods to Iran.
Published Date: 29th January 2016
31st
Regulatory Deadlines
Return Deadline: Operators with environmental permits submitting waste returns for Q4 2015 must do so by 31 January 2016.
Submission Deadline: 31st January 2016
