In July 2019, as part of its consultation on “Proposals to Support Families”, the government considered high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay with a view to achieving greater equality in parenting and at work. The government has finally published its response to that consultation which confirms that it will amend the current legislation

A new tax-free savings newsletter has been published by HMRC. The latest edition of the newsletter includes details of the following topics: Help to Save consultation. A new consultation on Help to Save reform has been published. The consultation will look at reforms to ensure the scheme has longevity as a key savings product for working

A reminder that owners and directors of limited companies have a duty to record certain transactions and decisions they make in the form of written minutes. In some situations, this obligation extends to include the filing of forms with Companies House. Section 248 of the Companies Act 2006 says: Every company must cause minutes of

202 employers have been named and shamed in a government press release for failing to pay almost £5 million to 63,000 workers in breach of the national minimum wage (NMW) legislation. The employers on the list have since paid back what they owed, and they also faced penalties of nearly £7 million. The employers named

HMRC compliance checks (formerly known as enquiries, visits and inspections) are the standard system used by HMRC to inspect taxpayer records. The standardised compliance check applies to most HMRC taxes. The introduction of the standardised compliance check (back in 2009) included the alignment of time limits for making tax assessments and claims at four years.

The GOV.UK website offers the following guidance if you are considering a patent application. A UK patent may help if you want to take legal action against someone who uses your invention without your permission. For example, if they sell or manufacture your product in the UK. A patent lasts 5 years. If you want

The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published the Menstruation, Menstrual Health and Menopause in the Workplace Standard (BS 30416) to help employers support employees going through menstruation or the menopause. The new standard is designed to assist employers in identifying the misconceptions around menstruation, perimenopause and menopause, and the impact the taboo surrounding them can

The Competition and Markets Authority recently provided further commentary on the risks associated with unregulated development of AI systems. In a reported commentary on the government’s White Paper: a pro-innovation approach, they said: “There are four key messages we would like to emphasise: (a) We support government’s approach of initially placing the principles themselves on

Three government-backed Private Members’ Bills that give parents and unpaid carers new protections at work received Royal Assent on 24 May 2023. These are: the Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 – this legislation will enable eligible employed parents whose baby is admitted to neonatal care to take up to twelve weeks’ paid neonatal

A wide range of UK companies, investors and industry experts have been invited to give their views on non-financial reporting regimes, in a new call for evidence that aims to find ways to reduce reporting regulation burdens on businesses so that they can focus on growth. Non-financial reporting provides valuable information to investors and is