Business Diary: UK Regulations - April 2017
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
Rates & Reliefs
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has published the regulatory fees payable, including fees for registration of drug manufacturers and importers, for 2017/18. The updated fees take effect from 1 April 2017.
Start Date: 1st April 2017
Business Laws
From 1 April 2017, Building Control bodies will be required to provide reports compiled during the building of new houses to building owners on request. The measure is part of revisions to Building Control Performance Standard 7.
Start Date: 1st April 2017
Rates & Reliefs
Rate Change: Scotland's government will increase the minimum wage for farm workers to £7.50 per hour, with effect from 1 April 2017. The overtime rate for workers during the first 26 weeks of employment will start after 48 hours in the week is worked and at the rate of 1.5 times the minimum hourly rate.
Start Date: 1st April 2017
Business Laws
Government Activity: The Scottish government has announced that vacant non-domestic properties, which are currently exempt from the water charging regime, will be liable to water service charges from 1 April 2017.
Start Date: 1st April 2017
3rd
Legal Statistics
According to a new survey from Totaljobs, 82% of companies are not reviewing their gender equality/equal pay policy ahead of the Gender Pay Gap Reporting legislation. Over half (58%) do not have salary information available across roles and genders.
Published Date: 3rd April 2017
Business Laws
Local authorities will be given new tools to accelerate the development of derelict and underused land for new homes. Councils will have to produce and maintain up-to-date, publicly available registers of brownfield sites available for development.
Published Date: 3rd April 2017
5th
EU Laws
The EU Parliament has approved new rules to make money market funds more resistant to crises and market turbulence. Money market funds provide easily accessible liquid assets to start-ups and SMEs, but can be vulnerable to panic runs on their money.
Published Date: 5th April 2017
6th
Court Rulings
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a pharmaceutical company was entitled to enforce its trademark rights to prevent two rival companies from importing the same product as it sold on the basis that the rivals' product would be sold under the pharmaceutical company's name.
Ruling Date: 6th April 2017
Business Laws
From 6 April 2017, firms with a wage bill of more than £3 million will be required to pay an apprenticeship levy set at 0.5% of their total wage bill. Employers will receive an annual allowance of £15,000 to spend on approved apprenticeship training programmes.
Start Date: 6th April 2017
Business Laws
The UK government has announced that employers paying the apprenticeship levy will receive a 10% top-up to their monthly levy contributions from April 2017.
Start Date: 6th April 2017
Business Laws
From 6 April 2017, new legislation requiring large firms to report their payment practices will come into force. Companies and directors that fail to publish the required information within the relevant reporting period face criminal prosecution and unlimited fines.
Start Date: 6th April 2017
Business Laws
New rules reforming the insolvency regime will take effect from 6 April 2017. Physical meetings will no longer be required unless requested by 10% of the creditors in value, and creditors will be able to opt out of receiving correspondence.
Start Date: 6th April 2017
Regulator Services
Insolvency Services: The Insolvency Service has announced that, from 6 April 2017, all statutory forms relating to insolvency procedures will be withdrawn and replaced with documents whose form and content is prescribed by the Insolvency (England & Wales) Rules 2016.
Start Date: 6th April 2017
Rates & Reliefs
New legislation has been published which will raise the maximum amount of statutory redundancy pay and the limit on the amount employment tribunals can award for unfair dismissal from 6 April 2017.
Start Date: 6th April 2017
Business Laws
New regulations which will require local authorities to check that people applying to hold alcohol premises licences are eligible to work in the UK will come into force from 6 April 2017. Councils will also be obliged to share details with the Home Office of applicants who they believe have convicted immigration offences.
Start Date: 6th April 2017
Business Laws
A new law establishing a new scheme to allow compensation to be claimed for property, including vehicles that form the stock in trade of a business, that is damaged, destroyed or stolen in the course of a riot enters fully into force on 6 April 2017.
Start Date: 6th April 2017
7th
Regulation Consultations
The UK government is inviting views from tenants, landlords and letting agents on a ban on letting agents charging unfair fees. Landlords and other third parties will be banned from charging any letting agent fees to tenants.
Response Deadline: 2nd June 2017
11th
EU Laws
The EU Council has extended sanctions against Iran, including a ban on exports of equipment which could be used for internal repression and equipment for monitoring telecommunications. The sanctions will remain in place until 13 April 2018.
Published Date: 11th April 2017
12th
Court Rulings
The Supreme Court has refused permission to the tobacco industry to appeal against new laws requiring plain, standardised packaging for cigarettes. The rules will come into force from 20 May 2017 as scheduled.
Ruling Date: 12th April 2017
Regulation Consultations
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is inviting views from all interested stakeholders on if or how the UK should implement the derogations, or flexibilities, permitted within the General Data Protection Regulation.
Response Deadline: 9th May 2017
13th
Regulation Consultations
The Intellectual Property Office is inviting views from all interested parties on four proposed changes to pre-grant patent application fees. The consultation includes an alternative proposal to amend both pre-grant fees and post-grant renewal fees.
Response Deadline: 6th June 2017
Regulation Consultations
Following consultation, the government has announced that it will go ahead with proposed measures to reform the employment tribunal system. The measures include digitising the claims procedure so that claims are lodged and processed online.
Published Date: 13th April 2017
Compliance Guidance
The Committee of Advertising Practice has published new guidance on non-broadcast ad placement. The guidance addresses the recently implemented restriction on electronic cigarette advertising as well as upcoming restrictions on advertising food and soft drink products high in fat, salt and sugar.
Published Date: 13th April 2017
Compliance Guidance
The Insolvency Service has completed the redevelopment of its guidance publications, which are now available as online content. The guidance documents cover debt relief options, company liquidation, and investigation and enforcement.
Published Date: 13th April 2017
14th
Business Laws
Matthew Taylor, who was appointed by Prime Minister, Theresa May, to lead a review into employment practices in the light of concerns about the gig economy, is considering a proposal to force businesses who employ people on zero-hours contracts to pay a premium wage.
Published Date: 14th April 2017
21st
Regulation Consultations
The UK government is inviting views from all interested stakeholders including exporters on a proposed new legal framework to allow the UK to maintain its ability to impose, implement and amend sanctions regimes post-Brexit.
Response Deadline: 23rd June 2017
Regulation Consultations
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is inviting views from businesses on a revised and fully independent process for considering disputes in relation to the fee for intervention (FFI) scheme. FFI allows HSE to recover regulatory costs from those found to be in material breach of health and safety law.
Response Deadline: 2nd June 2017
Business Laws
The UK government has delayed plans to replace the current £215 probate fee with a tiered fee structure, which would have driven up costs for higher value estates. The delay is being caused by insufficient time for the relevant legislation to go through Parliament before the snap General Election on 8 June 2017.
Published Date: 21st April 2017
26th
Legal Statistics - Risks
According to a new survey from Veritas, 47% of businesses doing business with the EU fear that they will fail to comply with of the EU General Data Protection Regulation by the implementation deadline. The majority (86%) fear that failure to comply could have a major negative impact on their business.
Published Date: 26th April 2017
27th
Crackdowns & Amnesty
The Mayor of London has said that letting agents who break the law will be named and shamed on a new public database which is being introduced with the support of the Association of Residential Letting Agents. This aims to give Londoners greater confidence when renting.
Published Date: 27th April 2017
Business Laws
The Digital Economy Bill 2016-17 received Royal Assent on 27 April 2017. The Bill aims to build a better infrastructure fit for the digital future and enhance protections for consumers from spam email and nuisance calls.
Published Date: 27th April 2017
Business Laws
The Intellectual Property (Unjustified Threats) Act 2017 received Royal Assent on 27 April 2017. Under the bill, businesses unjustifiably accused of intellectual property rights infringements could be eligible to claim damages from rights holders.
Payment Deadline: 27th April 2017
Court Rulings
The European Court of Justice has ruled that EU member states cannot set individual maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements unless they are based on international safety data and risk assessments.
Ruling Date: 27th April 2017
28th
Legal Statistics
Median practice fee income among smaller law firms increased by 5.8% in 2016, according to a new survey from the Law Society’s law management section. Median fee income per equity partner rose to £600,350 in 2016, up from £560,283 in 2015.
Published Date: 28th April 2017
