July 2021 News and Blogs

A new advice hub has launched to help disabled people understand their employment rights at work. The online hub, a joint partnership between the DBEIS and Acas, will provide clear advice to both disabled people and employers on employment rights – from discrimination in the workplace to reasonable adjustments. For further information please visit Acas.

Regular, rapid COVID-19 testing is an essential part of helping us manage risks as we learn to live and work alongside the virus. Planning ahead can help to keep your staff, your customers and your business safe. Almost 1 in 3 people with coronavirus don’t show any symptoms so it’s important people test regularly to help stop the spread. Twice weekly rapid tests are available for people who cannot work from home. The tests give...

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is changing, from 1 August 2021 to 30 September 2021 (when the scheme closes), the UK Government will pay 60% of employees' usual wages for hours not worked, up to a cap of £1,875. Employers will need to continue to pay the difference, so that they pay furloughed employees at least 80% of their usual wages in total for the hours they do not work, up to a cap of...

“I don’t believe it” When an employee’s disbelief causes a stir in the workplace, would you know how to respond? Belief is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. This means that a person cannot be discriminated against because of, or lack of, their belief. In guidance, belief gets grouped together with religion. However, unlike religion, belief is not as clearly defined. This understandably can be a source of confusion for some people. Phrases...

The UK Government are seeking views on the UK’s future regime for the exhaustion of intellectual property rights, which will underpin the UK’s system of parallel trade. “Exhaustion of IP rights” underpins the system of parallel trade. Parallel trade is the import and export of IP-protected goods (for example, anything from books, car parts to medicines) by secondary market actors. The movement of goods on the secondary market is usually on a wholesale/resale basis and...

Future Fund: Breakthrough is £375 million UK-wide programme which encourages private investors to co-invest in high-growth, innovative firms. The programme makes equity co-investments with private sector investors in growth stage R&D-intensive British companies operating in breakthrough technology sectors. The minimum total investment round size is £30 million. The maximum Future Fund: Breakthrough share of an investment round is 30%. It is a separate programme to the now closed Future Fund that provided convertible loans, valued...

HSE’s updated guidance will help you identify poor ventilation in work areas and take practical steps to improve it. This can help reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in your workplace. Updated guidance includes a new video setting out the key advice, and there is information on: identifying poorly ventilated areas and using CO2 monitors improving natural ventilation how to improve mechanical ventilation air cleaning and filtration units ventilation in work vehicles There are also...

On 1 October 2021, the law on allergen labelling for pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) foods will change. This means that any food business selling PPDS foods will have to include full ingredients on the product label with allergenic ingredients emphasised within that list. Also known as ‘Natasha’s Law’, the changes come following the death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse from an allergic reaction caused by a packaged baguette which, at the time, did not require...

Early Warning is a free National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) service designed to inform your organisation of potential cyber attacks on your network, as soon as possible. The service uses a variety of information feeds from the NCSC, trusted public, commercial and closed sources, which includes several privileged feeds which are not available elsewhere. Early Warning helps organisations investigate cyber attacks on their network by notifying them of malicious activity that has been detected in...

The Green Cymru Challenge Fund is a partnership between Ffilm Cymru Wales and Clwstwr, which will look at innovative and creative ways to cultivate a sustainable screen sector for Wales to research and develop new ways of working in the film and TV industry, with the aim of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The new multidisciplinary innovation fund will look to find solutions to key environmental challenges within the film industry in Wales. Who...