• HIPS (Home Information Packs).  We have been preparing for many months for the introduction of HIPS on residential property sales on 1 June 2007 and want to reassure our clients that we have the systems in place to produce a HIP for them when they wish to sell their property.  We use on-line services to obtain information which helps speed up the process.

• Employment.  We have contracts and procedures which help avoid the real risks of contravening recently introduced statutory procedures and rules against discrimination on grounds of age, disability, sex and race.

No Smoking.  From 1 July 2007 all employers, employees, customers and visitors will not be able to smoke in the enclosed area of the workplace.  Smoking rooms will no longer be allowed and smoking in work vehicles will not be permitted.

 

Maternity Leave.  New entitlements for working parents from 1 April:

• All employed women are entitled to additional maternity leave.

• The payment period for Statutory Maternity Pay and Maternity Allowance has been extended to 39 weeks.

• Some notice periods have changed.

• Employed fathers have a new right to up to 26 weeks additional Paternity Leave.

• Enduring Powers of Attorney.  The government has delayed implementation of the new Lasting Powers of Attorney until 1 October 2007.   Enduring Powers of Attorney created before this date will continue to be valid.   Many of Hart Reade’s clients are updating their existing arrangements now because the relative simplicity of the existing form contrasts with the twelve page form of the new document together with a further one hundred and twenty-six pages of guidance.