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Commentary: The implications of the Queens speech to employees and employers
15 November 2006
The new legislative timetable - The Queen’s speech
The Queen has today set out the government’s programme of 29 bills for the next parliamentary session. The speech is dominated by plans to combat climate change, terrorism and crime. However there are proposals in the Queen’s speech, which will have an impact upon both employees and employers alike.
The proposed measures include:
The corporate manslaughter Bill will create a specific offence of corporate manslaughter. This is something which has been discussed for many years and is yet to come to fruition. This would have an impact on company directors.
The Pensions Bill will raise the state pension from 65 to 68 by 2046.
The Border and Immigration Bill will increase the power of immigration officers, and will no doubt mean that companies will have to spend more money verifying the identity of employees.
The Welfare Reform Bill will create a new benefit, the Employment and Support Allowance, which will replace Incapacity Benefit. This new benefit is seen as an overhaul of the present structure and it is predicted that there will be incentives to encourage individuals back to work.
An interesting addition is the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill, which will join the National Consumer Council, Energy Watch, Post Watch and the National Consumer Council. The Office for Fair Trading will be able to inspect records kept by estate agents. This will allow disenchanted property buyers or sellers to make more effective complaints against estate agents, and could be seen as a step towards regulating the industry more vigorously.
Howell-Jones Partnership will provide an analysis of the proposed legislation when the bills are published in detail by the government during the next parliamentary term.
If you have any questions regarding these issues, please contact the author, Philip Henson.
