Business Diary: UK Regulations - April 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
Energy Consultation: The UK government has launched a consultation on an exemption for energy intensive industries, including steel, from major energy tariff costs.
Response Deadline: 27th May 2016
Regulator Services
Regulator Activity: The Better Regulation Delivery Office and the National Measurement and Regulation Office will be merged into a single BIS directorate from 1 April 2016.
Published Date: 10th March 2016
Business Laws
Employee Law: From 1 April 2016, employers will be required to pay the new National Living Wage of £7.20 to workers aged 25 or over and not in the first year of an apprenticeship.
Start Date: 1st April 2016
Rates & Reliefs
Rate Change: The European Medicines Agency has updated its applications fees, which will take effect from 1 April 2016.
Published Date: 9th March 2016
4th
Legal Statistics - Risks
Law Statistics: New research from Biffa reveals that 16% of small firms in Northern Ireland have not made any preparations for the new law on separating food waste which came into force on 1 April 2016 and many are unaware of the financial penalties for non compliance.
Published Date: 4th April 2016
Crackdowns & Amnesty
Advertising Crackdown: The Competition and Markets Authority has secured undertakings to tackle undisclosed advertising in online articles and blogs and has written to a number of marketing companies and their clients as well as publishers of online articles and blogs to warn against the practice.
Published Date: 4th April 2016
Compliance Guidance
HR Guide: Acas has published new guidance for employers and managers on identifying, tackling and preventing sex discrimination in the workplace.
Published Date: 4th April 2016
5th
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Welsh government has launched a consultation on plans for the introduction of new legislation regarding public procurement activity in Wales.
Response Deadline: 28th June 2016
Legal Statistics
Employment Law Statistics: New research from My Family Care reveals that just 1% of eligible male employees have taken up shared parental leave over the last 12 months, due mainly to financial concerns, lack of awareness and unwillingness from women to share their maternity leave.
Published Date: 5th April 2016
6th
Regulator Services
Insolvency Services: The Insolvency Service will launch a new online application service for insolvency and the fee will decrease from £705 to £655 from 6 April 2016.
Start Date: 6th April 2016
Compliance Guidance
Legal Guide: Companies House has published new guidance for companies and limited liability partnerships on the requirement to keep a register of people with significant control, which will apply from 6 April 2016.
Published Date: 27th January 2016
Rates & Reliefs
Rate Change: Companies House has announced its proposed new fee structure, to take effect from 6 April 2016.
Start Date: 6th April 2016
Business Laws
Finance Regulation: From 6 April 2016, all UK companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) will be required to keep a Register of People with Significant Control and those who control companies or LLPs will be subject to new disclosure requirements.
Start Date: 6th April 2016
Business Laws
New Regulation: From 6 April 2016, farmers operating in the Low Risk Area of England will be required by law to arrange for post-movement testing of cattle coming from the rest of England and from Wales.
Start Date: 6th April 2016
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The Netherlands presidency has reached a provisional agreement with EU parliament representatives on draft legislation aimed at reducing pollutant emissions of non-road combustion engines.
Published Date: 6th April 2016
Legal Statistics
Law Statistics: New research from Direct Line for Business reveals that 10% of landlords have no formal tenancy agreements in place, leaving them at risk from disputes over rental contracts.
Published Date: 6th April 2016
7th
Court Rulings
UK Ruling: A private sector landlord has become the first in the country to be issued with a Criminal Behaviour Order, which includes a provision that a suitable managing agent be instated, in a ruling made by Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court.
Ruling Date: 7th April 2016
10th
Business Laws
New Regulation: From 10 April 2016, new EU legislation increasing regulatory oversight and control of collective management organisations comes into force.
Start Date: 10th April 2016
12th
EU Laws
EU Consultation: The EU Commission has launched a public consultation on the rules surrounding the processing of personal data as well as the approach towards privacy in the electronic communications sector.
Response Deadline: 5th July 2016
13th
Regulation Consultations
Consultation Report: The UK government has published the outcome of the consultation on proposals for a Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) compliance fee methodology.
Published Date: 13th April 2016
14th
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The EU Parliament has passed new legislation aimed at helping businesses win legal redress against theft or misuse of their trade secrets.
Published Date: 14th April 2016
EU Laws
EU Regulation: A new General Data Protection Regulation has been finalised and will enter into force in 2018 following an EU Parliament vote on 14 April 2016.
Published Date: 14th April 2016
Regulation Consultations
Consultation Report: The UK government has published the outcome of the consultation on provisions in the upcoming Pubs Code regarding repairs and maintenance and information provided to tenants as well as extended code protections.
Published Date: 14th April 2016
15th
Regulator Services
Export Licensing: The Export Control Organisation has published two new Open General Export Licences for unpopulated printed circuit boards, cables and wiring harnesses and connectors and fasteners for military goods and dual-use items.
Published Date: 15th April 2016
18th
Business Laws
New Regulation: Two new regulations regarding procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors and the award of concession contracts entered into force on 18 April 2016.
Start Date: 18th April 2016
Business Laws
New Regulation: New legislation which will make it easier for SMEs to win lower value public contracts in Scotland will come into force on 18 April 2016.
Start Date: 18th April 2016
19th
EU Laws
Regulator Activity: The EU Commission has unveiled a series of measures, including a commitment to adopt legislation to support the free flow of data and clarify ownership of data generated by sensors and smart devices, to help drive the digitisation of industry and related services across all sectors.
Published Date: 19th April 2016
21st
Business Laws
Regulator Activity: The Competition and Markets Authority has published an open letter to estate agents warning that agreeing with rivals which property portals to list on may constitute a breach of competition law.
Published Date: 21st April 2016
Regulation Consultations
Law Consultation: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has launched a consultation on the impacts of retaining the Data and Communications Company (DCC) opt-out as well as proposed amendments to the regulatory framework should the opt-out be removed.
Response Deadline: 27th May 2016
Regulation Consultations
IP Consultation: The Intellectual Property Office has published the outcome of the consultation on increasing the maximum custodial sentence for online copyright infringement to 10 years.
Published Date: 21st April 2016
Compliance Guidance
Insolvency Guide: The Insolvency Service has launched new guidance to replace its guidance documents on winding up partnerships and statutory demands.
Published Date: 21st April 2016
22nd
EU Laws
EU Regulation: Under the EU's digitisation of industry plan, manufacturers and technology companies involved in the development of driverless cars could be subject to new rules on the use of the data those vehicles generate.
Published Date: 22nd April 2016
24th
Business Laws
Government Activity: The UK government has announced plans to review employment rules which could be hindering small firms and entrepreneurship as well as the launch of a survey designed to feed into the government's Innovation Plan.
Response Deadline: 22nd May 2016
25th
Legal Statistics
Law Statistics: A new report from the EU Commission reveals that 2,072 alerts and 2,745 follow-up actions were registered in the Rapid Alert System in 2015.
Published Date: 25th April 2016
Legal Statistics
Regulator Statistics: The Information Commissioner's Office has announced that it has issued more than £2 million in fines since a law change in April 2015 made it easier for the regulator to penalise direct marketing companies for breaches of the rules surrounding nuisance calls and text messages.
Published Date: 25th April 2016
Regulation Consultations
Consultation Report: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has published the outcome of the consultation on proposals to introduce regulatory fees for e-cigarettes.
Published Date: 25th April 2016
26th
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The EU Parliament Agriculture Committee has endorsed new rules on preventive measures for imported plant pests and rapid response mechanisms for high-risk pests.
Published Date: 26th April 2016
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The EU Parliament Environment Committee has backed plans to update the rules and emission limits for internal combustion engines in non-road mobile machinery such as lawn mowers, bulldozers, diesel locomotives and inland waterway vessels.
Published Date: 26th April 2016
Business Laws
New Regulation: The UK government has announced changes to the rules on reporting livestock movements aimed at cutting unnecessary red tape for farmers.
Published Date: 26th April 2016
28th
Legal Statistics
Planning Law Statistics: London councils granted planning permission for just 4,320 homes in Q1 2016, down 64% year-on-year, according to new analysis from Stirling Ackroyd.
Published Date: 28th April 2016
29th
EU Laws
EU Regulation: The EU Commission has adopted a proposal for a Directive to improve working conditions in the fishing sector pursuant to an agreement by EU social partners.
Published Date: 29th April 2016
30th
Regulatory Deadlines
Return Deadline: Operators with environmental permits submitting waste returns for Q1 2016 must do so by 30 April 2016.
Submission Deadline: 30th April 2016
EU Laws
EU Regulation: From 30 April 2016, roaming charges in the EU will be reduced to EUR 0.05 per minute for outgoing voice calls, EUR 0.02 for text messages (SMS) and EUR 0.05 per megabyte of mobile internet use.
Start Date: 30th April 2016
