Business Diary: UK Regulations - December 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
Regulator Services
The Government has announced that Fit for Work assessment services will close from 31 March 2018 in England and Wales, and from 31 May 2018 in Scotland, due to low referral rates. The Fit for Work referral service provides free access to an occupational health professional for people who are off work for four weeks or more.
Published Date: 1st December 2017
4th
Regulation Consultations
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is inviting views from all interested parties on its draft annual plan for 2018 to 2019. The CMA's key priorities include ensuring that online organisations which hold significant market power do not abuse it and that algorithms and forms of artificial intelligence do not become enablers of collusions.
Response Deadline: 14th January 2018
6th
Court Rulings
The EU Court of Justice has ruled that EU competition law does not preclude luxury goods manufacturers from banning retailers that are part of their selective distribution network from using third-party online marketplaces to sell their goods to the public where that ban is aimed at preserving the brand's luxury image.
Ruling Date: 6th December 2017
Business Laws
The government has shelved plans to introduce fresh legislation on modern working practices which would have reformed rights for gig economy workers until 2018, in the latest sign that Brexit negotiations are hampering domestic policy.
Published Date: 6th December 2017
Regulator Services
The Intellectual Property Office has launched a communications initiative directed towards SMEs to help them understand their intellectual property (IP) rights and the financial risks to their products and brands of not having IP protection.
Published Date: 6th December 2017
7th
Legal Statistics - Risks
According to the latest Zurich SME Risk Index, 85% of SMEs will be affected by the General Data Protection Regulation. Fines for non-compliance can be as high as 4% of global turnover, up to a maximum of approximately £18 million, yet just 28% of SMEs would be able to continue operating following a fine of this magnitude.
Published Date: 7th December 2017
Legal Statistics - Risks
According to a new survey from Timico, 39% of UK financial firms are unaware of whether their organisation is compliant with the MiFID II regulations. Just 8% said their employees were fully aware of the legal implications of MiFID II and had received relevant training.
Published Date: 7th December 2017
8th
Business Laws
From 8 December 2017, the Insolvency (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2017 will enter into force. Under the regulations, limited liability partnerships (LLPs) will be subject to the Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016. Insolvency practitioners administering a LLP insolvency will be required to use Companies House forms.
Start Date: 8th December 2017
Crackdowns & Amnesty
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has named 260 employers for failing to pay 16,000 workers the national minimum wage. Retail, hairdressing and hospitality businesses were found to be among the most prolific offenders.
Published Date: 8th December 2017
Compliance Guidance
The Information Commissioner's Office has issued new guidance for organisations providing trust services such as electronic signatures, electronic seals, electronic time stamps and website authentication certificates on their obligations with regard to security and breach reporting.
Published Date: 8th December 2017
14th
Regulation Consultations
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is inviting views from food businesses, consumers and interested parties on implementing the EU Directive 2015/1787 on the safety and quality of spring water and bottled drinking water. The Directive will introduce risk-based monitoring, which will reduce the amount of monitoring required in many cases.
Response Deadline: 18th January 2018
Legal Statistics - Risks
A new survey from Fellowes has found that employees are not taking data protection seriously despite the risk of fines to their employers under the upcoming General Data Protection Regulation. A fifth never shred documents and 40% admitted throwing client data straight into the bin.
Published Date: 14th December 2017
15th
Regulator Services
The Competition and Markets Authority has launched a new tool to help public procurement professionals identify suspicious behaviour by suppliers when bidding for contracts. The tool uses algorithms to spot unusual bidder behaviour and pricing patterns which may indicate that bid-rigging has taken place.
Published Date: 15th December 2017
Legal Statistics
The number of employment tribunal claims has risen by 64% in the two months since the abolition of tribunal fees, the highest in four years, according to the Ministry of Justice. Claims for unlawful deductions from wages, which had virtually disappeared under the fees regime, are now resurfacing.
Published Date: 15th December 2017
16th
Regulator Services
The Export Control Joint Unit has updated and amended nine open general export licences (OGELs) following changes to the EU's list of controlled dual-use items. The affected OGELs include oil and gas exploration: dual-use items, export after exhibition: dual-use items and technology for dual-use items.
Published Date: 16th December 2017
19th
Regulation Consultations
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is inviting views from landlords, tenants, small and large businesses, energy suppliers and other interested parties on proposal to amend the domestic Minimum Level of Energy Efficiency Regulations to cap the amount landlords would need to invest to raise a sub-standard property to the minimum standard.
Response Deadline: 13th March 2018
Regulation Consultations
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is inviting views from businesses and representative bodies on its planned approach to enforcing the gender pay gap regulations. The regulator would invite employers found to be breaching the regulations to enter into a formal agreement to comply. Those that fail to do so would be issued a court order and could face summary convictions and an unlimited fine.
Response Deadline: 8th February 2018
20th
Regulator Services
The government has launched the complaint handling service of the Small Business Commissioner. The Small Business Commissioner’s website will provide guidance to small firms on payment issues, including how to take action if a payment is overdue.
Published Date: 20th December 2017
Court Rulings
The EU Court of Justice has ruled that Uber is a transport services company, which means that it will be subject to stricter regulation and licensing. The court held that a service connecting non-professional drivers and consumers by means of a smartphone application must be regarded as being inherently linked to a transport service and, accordingly, must be classified as such for the purposes of EU law.
Ruling Date: 20th December 2017
21st
Crackdowns & Amnesty
Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, has announced new measures to crack down on unfair and abusive practices within the leasehold system, including a ban on leaseholds for almost all new build houses. In addition, changes will be made so that ground rents on new long leases, for both houses and flats, are set to zero.
Published Date: 21st December 2017
Regulation Consultations
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is inviting views from all interested parties on a revision to the fee structure and fee levels for marine licencing which will result in a simplified regime which will deliver increased clarity for marine licence applicants.
Response Deadline: 2nd February 2018
28th
Business Laws
Ofcom has finalised a new Electronic Communications Codes setting out rights and obligations regarding the deployment and maintenance of mobile phone masts and other telecoms infrastructure, which will enter into force on 28 December 2017. Under the Code, landowners will have less freedom to charge premium prices for the use of their property by telecoms companies.
Start Date: 28th December 2017
