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Head Office :

Unity
Hillcrest House
Garth Street
Hanley
Stoke on Trent
Staffordshire
ST1 2AB


Telephone :
01782 272755

Legal Timetable.

Below is the legal timetable provided by the Office of Public Sector Information.

1st April 2007:


* The standard rates of statutory maternity, paternity, and adoption pay are increased to
£112.75 per week.

* Payments made under The Pneumoconiosis etc (workers' compensation) Act 1979
increase by 3.6% rounded up or down to the nearest pound as appropriate.

6th April 2007:

* The regulations which implement the information and consultation directive are
extended to cover undertakings with 100 or more employees.

* The regulations, which introduce a statutory requirement upon employers to consult
with prospective and active members of pension schemes and their representatives before making major or significant changes to future pension arrangements, are ex-
tended to cover undertakings with 100 or more employees.

* The rate of statutory sick pay is increased to £70.05 per week.

30th April 2007:

* Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations make it unlawful to discriminate on the
grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and service, education,
disposal and management of premises and exercise of public functions.

1st July 2007:

* A ban on smoking in enclosed public places, including most workplaces, comes into force.

1st October 2007:

* The statutory entitlement to paid holiday increases from 20 days to 24 days.

October 2007:

* A single equality body, called the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, is introduced.  The body will merge the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Disability Rights Commission.

6th April 2008:

* The regulations which introduce a statutory requirement upon employers to consult with prospective and active members of pension schemes and their representatives before making major or significant changes to future pension arrangements, are extended to
cover undertakings with 50 or more employees.

1st October 2008:

*  The statutory entitlement to paid holiday increases from 24 days to 28 days.

During 2009 - 2010:

* The government intends to extend paid maternity leave to 12 months.  This follows an extension to nine months from April 2007.  

Further information on all the above items can be found on the Office of Public Sector Information website :  www.opsi.gov.uk


Corporate Manslaughter Bill.
During 2007:

* New laws on Corporate Manslaughter are introduced.  They will create a new offence of corporate manslaughter , which will allow organisations to be prosecuted for management failures that lead to the death of employees or others.

The new offence would apply when an individual has been killed because senior management of an organisation has grossly failed to take reasonable care for the safety of employees or others.

It would be an offence committed by organisations rather than individuals and would therefore carry a penalty of an unlimited fine rather than a custodial sentence.

This bill can be viewed on the Parliament website.