April 2021 News and Blogs

The Welsh Government has confirmed changes to the coronavirus restrictions in Wales from Monday 3 May 2021. From Monday 3 May: Gyms, fitness facilities, leisure centres, spas and swimming pools can reopen. Extended households will be possible, allowing 2 households to come together to form an exclusive bubble who can meet and have contact indoors. Organised children’s indoor activities can recommence, such as sporting, cultural and wider recreational groups and clubs. Children’s birthday parties, or...

The Children’s Code (or Age Appropriate Design Code to give its formal title) is a data protection code of practice for online services, this code applies to “information society services likely to be accessed by children” in the UK. This includes many apps, programs, connected toys and devices, search engines, social media platforms, streaming services, online games, news or educational websites and websites offering other goods or services to users over the internet. It is...

The Department for International Trade in Ireland is hosting a webinar for UK companies to hear about best practice in bidding for public sector contracts in Ireland. Procurement is a key priority in Ireland’s Programme for Government – purchases of supplies, services and works by Ireland’s public sector are expected to be worth €33 billion in 2021, and €150 billion over the next 5 years. Ireland has more than 3,000 Contracting Authorities, which encompasses government...

The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) updated web pages explain how employers should manage the health and safety of new mothers and pregnant workers. Employers are responsible for providing a safe working environment while effectively managing risks to the health and safety of all employees through risk assessments. The guide provides a summary of your duties to protect new and expectant mothers, including: welfare and rights of new and expectant mothers risk assessment for new...

The UK Government are inviting views on the long-term approach to product safety and how to ensure that the regulatory framework is fit for the future. The world in which we operate is changing and it is important that the framework that protects consumers from unsafe products is reviewed and updated where necessary, to deal with new and novel products or business models. The consultation is seeking views from the following areas: product design, manufacture...

CJRS eligibility from May If you have employees who have previously been ineligible for the CJRS, as they were not on your payroll on 30 October 2020, they may be eligible for periods from 1 May 2021 onwards. From May you will be able to claim for eligible employees who were on your PAYE payroll on 2 March 2021. This means you must have made a PAYE Real Time Information (RTI) submission between 20 March...

Introducing a Deposit Return Scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland In 2019, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) launched the consultation on Introducing a Deposit Return Scheme in England, in conjunction with the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. The consultation set out the aims of introducing a deposit return scheme, which would be to reduce the amount of littering, boost recycling levels for...

HMRC publishes the Employer Bulletin 6 times a year, giving employers and agents the latest information on topics and issues that may affect them. April’s bulletin covers updates and information on: COVID-19 UK Transition consultation calls and responses PAYE tax and changes to guidance The employer bulletin is only available online. You can register for HMRC’s employer email alert service to receive emails from HMRC which tell you when the latest issue is available. For...

When it comes to producing content for the internet, whether websites, social media or otherwise, it is easy to notice a huge disparity between communication that is customer focused and that which is not. The more niche or esoteric the company particularly present in every area of technology, but also in traditional industries like engineering, the more often we see it is written for the wrong reader. The writer is so often at pains to...

The UK’s famous spirit of entrepreneurship is resolute, despite one of the toughest years in recent history, which has had a disproportionate impact on female entrepreneurs. The International Monetary Fund has cautioned that Covid-19 threatens to roll back the last 30 years of economic gains for women. This is one of the reasons why NatWest and Getty Images partnered to launch a nationwide campaign and competition to tackle stereotypes of female founders and help create...