From 30 November 2020, criminal convictions in Scotland will be spent sooner.A criminal conviction is regarded as spent when sufficient time has elapsed for it to be considered no longer relevant when applying for a job. A job applicant therefore has the right, introduced in 1984, generally not to disclose a spent conviction. The idea...Read More

From 14 September 2020, the government is rolling out a national digital care and supervision application. This allows local authorities and legal representatives to create and manage care and supervision applications under Children Act 1989 s44. The new provision allows users to check the progress of applications, to access documents, and for some users to...Read More

From 28 August 2020, homeowners and landlords can see how the new Green Homes Grant scheme can help them reduce energy requirements. The government is offering grants of up to £5,000 to pay for two-thirds of the cost of identified energy savings measures. Lower income households may claim up to £10,000. Details can be accessed...Read More

From 17 August 2020, Scottish young people aged 16 to 24 (25 for care leavers) may apply for a new Job Start Payment. This is a one-off payment of £250 to help with costs of starting a new job. The payment is £400 if the claimant has a child. [20.08/27]Read More

Scottish Child Payments start in February 2021, the Scottish government announced on 20 August 2020. This is a devolved social security benefit that provides an additional £10 a week, backdated to November 2020, to assist with living costs. This complements the Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods. The three schemes together can provide benefits...Read More

From April 2021, the 5p charge for carrier bags in England doubles to 10p and will apply to all shops. Currently shops that employ fewer than 250 people are exempt. Other parts of the UK already charge 5p in shops of any size. The charge is not a tax as the retailer may keep the...Read More

On 28 August 2020, Santander customers were unable to access their online accounts for several hours from morning until mid-afternoon. The problem was exacerbated as this was the Friday before a bank holiday, and the day that many workers are paid. The bank said the problem was resolved later in the day and all payments...Read More

On 14 August 2020, the Scottish government announced proposals to provide financial redress payments of up to £80,000 to survivors of historical child abuse. The provisions are contained in The Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill. Payments will be made for those who suffered abuse in residential care before 1 December...Read More

The GAAR Panel has ruled that payments by a company to a trust and subsequent loans to an employee are not effective as a means of tax avoidance. This is in accordance with a redacted opinion issued in July from an opinion notice issued on 7 April 2020. The scheme was used by an owner-manager...Read More

HMRC has amended it manual regarding reduced rate contributions for married women. Married woman could elect to pay a reduced rate of national insurance before May 1977 in return for a lesser entitlement to state pension and other benefits. The woman could receive such pension and benefits based on her husband’s national insurance contributions. A...Read More