HLAS

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regularly issues safety updates, some of the latest are listed below. Improving general ventilation in the workplace Employers must make sure there is adequate ventilation in enclosed areas of their workplace. Help bust the myths on portable appliance testing Portable appliance testing (PAT) is the examination of electrical appliances and equipment to make sure they are safe to use. HSE’s Dust Kills campaign continues HSE’s Dust Kills campaign urges employers and those working in construction to be aware of the risks from exposure to silica and wood dust. For updated safety alerts and notices [...]

The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee announced an increase to the Bank of England base rate from 5.00% to 5.25% on 3 August 2023. HMRC interest rates are linked to the Bank of England base rate. Because the base rate has changed, HMRC interest rates for late payment and repayment will increase. These changes will come into effect on: 14 August 2023 for quarterly instalment payments; and 22 August 2023 for non-quarterly instalments payments. See: HMRC late payment interest rates to be revised after Bank of England increases base rate - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Motorists can opt for digital vehicle tax reminders rather than having to wait for a paper reminder to drop through their letter box. The change comes as part of DVLA’s new Driver and vehicles account service, which was launched on GOV.UK last week. The new service, which allows motorists to easily access their driver and vehicle information in one place, has been launched as a public beta and DVLA are asking motorists to provide feedback to help develop the service. The Driver and vehicles account is easy-to-use, secure, and it takes around 5 minutes to sign up. Once an account has been [...]

The UK government has a webpage with guidance to help businesses identify and prepare for the hazards and threats that may disrupt their operations. Being more prepared and resilient could give a competitive advantage to your business. The actions you take to make your business resilient will depend on your circumstances and the risks you are comfortable taking. Having assessed these, only you can decide how much time, and possibly money, you want to invest in increasing your resilience. These suggested actions will help you get started: Do a business resilience health check to help you understand how to make [...]

With continuing inflation in the UK, many of us and our businesses have been put “off track” in the short to medium term. The Bank of England recently increased interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point to 5.25 per cent. The rise was as expected by economists in view of the latest data showing annual inflation at 7.9 per cent in June which is four times higher than the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target. Inflation is a problem for most of us. Savers find that the value of their cash is being rapidly eroded. At 10% [...]

A further £10 million is being made available to cattle farmers in England to help them replace ageing cattle buildings with state-of-the-art facilities, Defra has announced. As set out in guidance published last week, the Animal Health and Welfare Infrastructure Grant will allocate awards to farmers ranging from £15,000 to £500,000, prioritising new and upgraded calf housing which will improve livestock conditions and help boost farmers’ productivity and profitability. Through this grant, cattle farmers can access funding for roof-top solar panels on calf housing buildings, fulfilling a key commitment made by the Prime Minister at the Farm to Fork Summit earlier this [...]

In 2022, Defra announced that payments would be made in two instalments each year for the remainder of the agricultural transition period. Around 50% of the overall payment is being made now with the remaining balance expected from December. Payments are up to 50% of the total annual BPS payment and will hopefully help farmers impacted by price rises throughout the industry with their summer season cash flow. The RPA expects the vast majority of farmers to be paid on time, though there will be a small number of farmers whose claims will require additional checks which will take longer to process. [...]

More than 7 billion plastic bags have been prevented from blighting our streets and countryside thanks to the single-use carrier bag charge, new figures announced last month show. A 5p charge was first introduced in supermarkets in 2015. Since then, usage at the main retailers – Asda, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative Group, Tesco and Waitrose – has dropped by more than 98%. The average person in England now buys just two single-use carrier bags a year from these businesses, compared with around 140 in 2014 before the charge was introduced. The number of single-use carrier bags reported [...]

The changes to the Alcohol Duty structure and the new reliefs took effect on 1‌‌‌ ‌‌August 2023. These include: A new alcohol Duty system: standardised Alcohol Duty bands for all types of alcoholic products. There are new duty rates based on alcohol by volume (ABV) for all products; A Small Producer Relief: which reforms and extends the relief previously enjoyed by small breweries, to producers of all alcoholic products under 8.5% ABV; A reduced rate for draught products also known as Draught Relief, which reduces the tax due on draught alcoholic products under 8.5% ABV, packaged in containers of at [...]

Innovate UK will work with The Department for Transport (DfT) to invest up to £34 million in innovation projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. These will be to develop and deploy real-world operational demonstrations of clean maritime solutions as well as carry out innovative feasibility studies and pre-deployment trials. The Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) Round 4 is part of a suite of interventions launched by the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE). UK SHORE aims to transform the UK into a global leader in the design and manufacturing of clean maritime technology. Your proposal must [...]