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28th June 2007

NEWS IN BRIEF

WE’RE ALL GOING ON A …

Following an earlier consultation on statutory holiday entitlement, the Government has now published regulations increasing the number of holidays from 20 to 24 from October this year. These will be increased to 28 days from April 2009. The Government has calculated that about six million workers will benefit.

The regulations state that:

• To encourage early implementation, companies who offer their workers 28 days leave or more by 1 October 2007 and meet certain other related standards, will not have to abide by the new legislation, as long as they continue to meet these standards
• As a transitional measure, companies will be allowed to “buy out” the additional leave entitlement (the four extra days) introduced in October 2007, but only until 1 April 2009
• All part-time workers will be entitled to the extra holidays on a pro-rata basis

The DTI will set up an online calculator to make it simpler for everybody to work out their new holiday entitlement.

To download a copy of the consultation response, go to:
www.dti.gov.uk/files/file39592.pdf

… DISCRIMINATION LAW REVIEW

Arguing that current equality laws need to be simplified, the Government has published a consultation document on how to make them easier to understand. Given that discrimination law is currently contained in nine major pieces of legislation, they may have a point.

The review builds on the Government’s 2005 manifesto commitment to introduce a single equality act and seeks views on a wide range of issues, covering the following areas:

• Harmonising and simplifying the law
• Making the law more effective
• Modernising the law

The consultation closes on 4 September 2007. To download the document, go to:
www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1511211

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