Queen’s Speech – Equalities and Employment Implications

Queen’s Speech announced over a dozen new pieces of legislation and new initiatives which will be introduced before the General Election. Many of them have an employment, equality or business dimension. • Laws making it easier to punish directors who ignore their responsibilities and break the law. • Increased protection for volunteers • Parents with children aged under 12 to receive up to £2,000 a year in free childcare. • Child Neglect Bill protecting children from criminal neglect. • New Pension laws setting out new freedoms for pensioners • Powers to tackle abuse of zero-hours contracts • Higher penalties for employers failing to pay the National Minimum Wage • A "Modern Slavery" law to give victims of slavery compensation • Ombudsman to deal with complaints from or about members of the Armed Services • Landlords who knowingly lease premises to criminal gangs will face up to five years’ imprisonment. This new offence will also apply to commercial landlords and others who provide services such as transport or parcel delivery All the latest developments in #ConcrewTraining workshops on #Equalities and #Employmentlaw At least six bills will be carried over from the previous parliament, including the consumer rights bill, the criminal justice and courts bill (including knife crime), the deregulation bill, a second finance bill, the HS2 paving bill and the Wales bill.