It is when times get tough that problems which might have been easy to gloss over in better times start to make themselves visible. When serious problems that have remained undiscovered for a substantial period come to light, a company’s auditors may...

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 make direct and indirect age discrimination illegal in an employment context, unless the treatment can be objectively justified. The legislation applies to discrimination against young as well as older...

With the recession beginning to bite, many occupiers of rented property are looking to move to less expensive premises or reduce the space they currently occupy. If you are thinking along these lines, here are some tips which may help...

If an employer seeks, unilaterally, to make changes to the terms and conditions of an employee’s contract of employment and the employee is not in agreement with them, it is generally a breach of contract. In serious cases, the employee can have the...

Under the Points Based System (PBS) for immigration, most people applying to come to or remain in the UK to work or study who are not nationals of the European Economic Area or Swiss nationals will, in addition to having to meet the criteria set by the PBS...

In contracts for construction works it is common for there to be indemnities against loss, given to the employer by the contractor, and also for there to be agreement as to what sort of insurance cover must be put in place. This is normally done by taking...

Don't let the post-holiday rush distract you from meeting the deadline for claiming relief from business rates. Small Business Rate Relief applies where the Rateable Value (RV) of business premises is less than...

The Government's quest for better information on the energy efficiency of buildings has led to the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for commercial as well as residential property (where they constitute part of the Home...

Employees, or their dependants, are entitled to claim damages for injury caused by a workplace accident if:   there was a duty of care owed to the injured person; that duty was not performed; and ...

The new national minimum wage rates which will apply from October 2008 are as follows: The adult national minimum wage will rise from £5.52 to £5.73 an hour. The minimum rate for 18- to 21-year-olds...

With car fuel having leapt in price in recent months, the amount of VAT which can be recovered on fuel used for business purposes is also rising. There are three ways in which car fuel can be dealt with for VAT purposes: ...

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has handed down its ruling ( Coleman v Attridge Law ) on whether the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) properly implements the EU Equal Treatment Framework Directive . Sharon Coleman, who...

A case in which a tenant won a recent case against its landlord using the unfair contract terms legislation, seems to have given tenants whose leases contain unfair exclusion clauses, improved weaponry in such disputes. In the case in point, the tenant was...

Following one of the largest ever investigations under the Competition Act 1998 , the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has issued a Statement of Objections (SO) against 112 firms in the construction sector in England that it alleges have engaged in bid...

Under Section 57A of the Employment Rights Act 1996 , all employees are entitled to take a reasonable amount of unpaid time off work to deal with emergencies involving a dependant, and not to be dismissed or victimised for doing so. The emergency must...

Construction contracts usually provide for payments to be made in stages, with the amount payable being based on the amount of work certified as complete at the appropriate time. Where project milestones are not met, the contract will normally provide that...

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has been given the power to impose substantial fines on organisations that deliberately or recklessly commit serious breaches of the Data Protection Act (DPA). The new power is granted under the...

Companies can now execute documents under deed without having to have the document signed by two officers (directors or the company secretary) or affixing the company’s seal. Now, provided it is allowed under the company’s...

Currently, restaurants operate a wide variety of practices when it comes to dealing with tips and the Government does not regulate as to how they should be managed. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR)...

A tax clearance is a procedure by which a taxpayer considering making a transaction, obtains the agreement of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) that the tax effects of the transaction are what the taxpayer believes them to be. A clearance allows certainty...

Blackburn-based brewery Thwaites, which owns 400 pubs, has won a victory which will bring cheer to licensees, after the Court ruled that a decision by magistrates to cut the opening hours of its Saughall Hotel in Saughall Massie on Merseyside was not based...

Clients in the building trade should be reminded that the person responsible for the management of a building site is required, if the construction phase involves more than 30 calendar days or 500 person-days of work, to appoint a Construction Design and...

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have merged to form a single national regulatory body. Originally, the two were established as separate, non-departmental bodies with working practices...

In recent years there have been several failed attempts by the European Union Council of Ministers to agree on proposals to improve the employment rights of agency workers. In December 2007, the Agency Workers Directive (AWD), giving temporary workers...

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has launched a consultation exercise on a proposed new law, whereby employees will have the right to request time off work to complete relevant training. It is planned that the new entitlement will...