Business Diary: UK Regulations - March 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
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The UK government has launched a consultation on on how terms and conditions (T&Cs) can be made more user-friendly as well as proposals to tackle unfair terms.
Response Deadline: 25th April 2016
Business Laws
New Regulation: The Employment and Learning Minister has announced the completion of the Final Stage of the Employment Bill, which sets out a framework for strengthening employment protections and aims to support the earlier resolution of workplace disputes, in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Published Date: 1st March 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The UK government has launched a consultation on reforms to the Capacity Market aimed at improving energy security for households and businesses.
Response Deadline: 1st April 2016
2nd
Legal Statistics
IP Statistics: Overseas attachés from the Intellectual Property Office helped UK businesses to protect £440 million worth of intellectual property in 2015, according to official data.
Published Date: 2nd March 2016
Court Rulings
UK Ruling: The Supreme Court has ruled that an employer was "vicariously liable" for the actions of an employee who assaulted a customer.
Ruling Date: 2nd March 2016
3rd
Business Laws
Government Activity: The UK government has announced a number of measures, including the launch of a new Cutting Red Tape review, to help deliver its commitment to cutting a further £10 billion of red tape for businesses.
Published Date: 3rd March 2016
4th
Regulator Services
Export Licensing: The Export Control Organisation has amended the Open General Export Licence for dual-use items which the international non-proliferation regimes have agreed to decontrol.
Published Date: 4th March 2016
7th
Regulator Services
IP Services: The Unified Patent Court (UPC) management system will feature "a basket capability" which will allow businesses to opt out of an unlimited number of European patents.
Published Date: 7th March 2016
Legal Statistics
Crackdown Statistics: Raids by local councils on outlets such as off licences and takeaway shops have risen by 10% between 2012/13 and 2014/15, according to commercial law firm EMW.
Published Date: 7th March 2016
8th
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The EU Commission has announced a targeted revision of the rules surrounding the posting of workers, which will introduce changes with respect to the remuneration of posted workers, temporary agency workers and long-term posting.
Published Date: 8th March 2016
Compliance Guidance
Import Guide: The UK Government has published new guidance for businesses on importing organic products into the UK.
Published Date: 8th March 2016
9th
Court Rulings
UK Ruling: The Employment Appeal Tribunal has ruled that it was not discriminatory for an employer to suspend a childcare voucher scheme, provided to employees via salary sacrifice, when an employee was on maternity leave.
Ruling Date: 9th March 2016
10th
Business Laws
Government Activity: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has appointed a Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA), who will be responsible for enforcing the Statutory Pubs Code.
Published Date: 10th March 2016
13th
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The EU Commission is consulting on whether the objectives of the Fisheries Control Regulation are being met and the effectiveness of the Regulation's requirements.
Response Deadline: 13th March 2016
14th
Business Laws
Regulator Activity: The EU Commission has announced a series of measures, including a temporary increase in state aid, to support EU farmers in crisis.
Published Date: 14th March 2016
16th
Business Laws
Government Activity: The UK government has announced plans to consult on extending shared parental leave rights to grandparents.
Published Date: 16th March 2016
Court Rulings
UK Ruling: The UK High Court has ruled that a commercial tenant may not assign a lease to its guarantor, as to do so would be in breach of the 1995 Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act.
Published Date: 16th March 2016
Court Rulings
EU Ruling: Businesses that provide free Wi-Fi services as an "an adjunct" to their "principal economic activity" cannot be forced by court order to make their networks secure to address copyright infringement by users of their networks, according to the EU advocate general to the Court of Justice.
Published Date: 16th March 2016
Business Laws
Government Activity: The UK government has announced new three-month deadlines for the communities secretary to decide recovered planning appeals and called-in planning applications, in a move to prevent time-delays on decisions relating to infrastructure, housing and regeneration projects.
Published Date: 16th March 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has launched a consultation on whether protections for small and micro businesses operating in non-regulated sectors should be enhanced.
Response Deadline: 9th June 2016
17th
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The EU Commission has proposed a new regulation aimed at easing access to the EU single market for organic and waste-based fertilisers.
Published Date: 17th March 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The UK government is consulting on which regulators to bring within the scope of the business impact target (BIT), growth duty and Small Business Appeals Champion as well as the related guidance.
Response Deadline: 17th March 2016
EU Laws
Legal Alert: Insurance companies are being urged to review certain agreements and practices they have with other firms to ensure compliance with EU competition rules following the announcement that the EU Commission may not renew renew the existing Insurance Block Exemption Regulation (IBER).
Published Date: 17th March 2016
18th
Compliance Guidance
Law Guide: The UK government has published new guidance offering further information on how the upcoming apprenticeship levy will work and who it will affect.
Published Date: 18th March 2016
Legal Statistics - Risks
Regulator Activity: An antitrust inquiry into the e-commerce sector by the EU Commission has found that 38% of retailers selling consumer goods and 68% of digital content providers geo-block consumers from other EU member states and the sector may face investigation as a result.
Published Date: 18th March 2016
Compliance Guidance
HR Guide: Acas has published new guidance for employers on how to manage and support apprentices and young workers.
Published Date: 18th March 2016
21st
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The UK government has launched a consultation on proposed reforms aimed at making the compulsory purchase of land clearer, fairer and quicker.
Response Deadline: 15th May 2016
22nd
Court Rulings
UK Ruling: The Court of Appeal has ruled that a 20-day time limit for making claims for breaches of warranty as part of a share purchase agreement (SPA) took effect once the buyer was aware of the “proper basis for a claim”.
Ruling Date: 22nd March 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The UK government has launched a consultation on proposed changes to the Human Medicines Regulations and the Medicines Act which will, among other things, allow independent pharmacists to make use of ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing models.
Response Deadline: 17th May 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The EU Commission is consulting on a proposed restriction on certain hazardous substances used in textile articles and clothing for consumer use.
Response Deadline: 22nd March 2016
23rd
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Intellectual Property Office has published the outcome of the consultation on proposed changes to the registered design service fees.
Published Date: 23rd March 2016
Regulation Consultations
Property Consultation: The Department for Communities and Local Government has launched a consultation on regulations to support the starter homes clauses in the Housing and Planning Bill.
Response Deadline: 27th May 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched a consultation on the draft Packaging Waste Regulations 2016.
Response Deadline: 17th May 2016
Court Rulings
UK Ruling: The High Court has ruled that meat processed by a company's novel methods, which was banned following the EU's moratorium on desinewed meat, can be classed as fresh meat as opposed to mechanically separated meat.
Ruling Date: 23rd March 2016
Compliance Guidance
Legal Guide: The Competition and Markets Authority has published a new series of guides providing information on the types of contract terms that may be considered unfair.
Published Date: 23rd March 2016
EU Laws
Regulator Activity: A number of changes to the EU-wide trade mark and the regulator, formerly known as the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market, came into effect on 23 March 2016.
Start Date: 23rd March 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The European Commission has launched a consultation on possible steps to be taken to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of insolvency frameworks in the EU.
Response Deadline: 14th June 2016
24th
Business Laws
New Regulation: The UK government has announced reforms to the Tier 2 visa aimed at reducing UK businesses' reliance on foreign labour and safeguarding jobs for UK residents.
Published Date: 24th March 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The UK government has launched a consultation on options to move the Land Registry into the private sector from 2017.
Response Deadline: 26th May 2016
25th
Regulation Consultations
Energy Consultation: The NI Executive has launched a consultation on the closure of the Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation to new small scale onshore wind projects.
Response Deadline: 9th May 2016
Business Laws
Government Activity: Northern Ireland's Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister has launched an action plan aimed at cutting red tape for businesses while continuing to ensure protections for citizens, employees and the environment.
Published Date: 25th March 2016
28th
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The EU Commission is consulting on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and added value of the Environmental Noise Directive.
Response Deadline: 28th March 2016
31st
Legal Statistics
Minimum Wage Statistics: New research from Willis Towers Watson reveals that 64% of retailers are planning to implement the National Living Wage (NLW) and 45% are planning to exceed the NLW.
Published Date: 31st March 2016
Regulation Consultations
Trade Consultation: The EU Commission has launched a consultation on the future of the trade and economic ties between the EU and Turkey.
Response Deadline: 9th June 2016
EU Laws
Regulator Activity: On 31 March 2016, the EU Commission extended restrictive measures against North Korea, including restrictions on imports and exports of items that ould contribute to the development of the operational capabilities of the nation's armed forces.
Published Date: 31st March 2016
Regulation Consultations
EU Consultation: The EU Commission has launched a consultation on ways to improve the operating environment for start-ups in Europe.
Response Deadline: 30th June 2016
