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The Department for Education have released details of additional flexibility coming to apprenticeships. When adult learners over the age of 19 start their apprenticeship course, businesses will now be able to decide whether they need to complete a level 2 English and Maths qualification (equivalent to a GCSE) in order to pass the course.

The government announced major plans last week to modernise the house buying and selling process. The reforms centre on digitalising and making property and identity data available electronically. This will allow mortgage companies and surveyors to have information within easy reach. It is thought that these changes will help to avoid surprises being encountered late in the process, with the waste of time and money that goes with that.

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to make headlines as businesses work out how to make effective use of it. The government is continuing to push for growth in the AI industry. Last week, it opened bidding so that local authorities can submit proposals to become the next AI Growth Zone. It expects thousands of jobs to be created as a result and that it could rejuvenate local communities in various parts of the UK.

Following a consultation in 2024, the fees payable by data controllers to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will be increased by 29.8%. There is a £5 discount for direct debit payments and any organisations that are currently exempt from paying the fee will continue to be exempt.

The UK government has intensified its crackdown on illegal working, with January 2025 seeing record enforcement activity. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced these efforts as the Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill returned to Parliament last week.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has reported that a director for a Manchester-based security company has been fined for failing to comply with an investigation into the use of unlicensed security operatives. The law requires security operatives working under contract to hold and display a valid SIA licence. Merseyside Police reported to the SIA that unlicensed security operatives had been used at a venue in Liverpool.

The UK government is consulting on changes that will require private landlords in England and Wales to meet higher energy performance ratings by 2030. Currently, 48% of all private rented homes have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of C or above. However, under new plans the government is proposing that by 2030 all privately let properties will need to meet a minimum EPC C.

Road schemes affecting Wiltshire, Leeds, Essex and Buckinghamshire were given approval last week following the grant of £90 million of government funding. The improvement in infrastructure these schemes will bring is expected to help businesses be able to transfer goods more easily and generate growth in the economy.

The Bank of England reduced their base rate to 4.5% last week, as had been widely expected in the days leading up to the decision. The decision was made by a 7-2 majority. The minority of two members were looking for the rate to be reduced to 4.25%. In announcing their decision, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) outlined their thoughts on the economy.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have revealed that 37,000 people have plugged gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record since last April, boosting the amount of State Pension they will receive when they reach retirement age. The amount of State Pension you will receive is based on how many completed years you have in your NI record.

When it comes to disposing of computer equipment, how do you make sure that any storage media – hard drives, SSDs, flash drives and so forth – can’t be read by unauthorised users or have the data recovered? The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) reports that there have even been examples where several gigabytes of sensitive documents were retrieved from decommissioned photocopiers and printers.

The Charity Commission has issued a warning reminder to large, incorporated charities about changes to the law on preventing fraud. A new failure to prevent fraud offence will come into force on 1 September 2025 for all large organisations, including charities.

Following the recent run of storms and wet weather, the government has announced that £2.65 billion will be spent over the next two years to build, maintain and repair flood defences. Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency, so flood defences are becoming increasingly important in protecting both homes and businesses. The funding will also help protect farmland, which has also suffered in the recent storms.

February saw changes for the alcohol industry come into force that particularly affected winemakers. A temporary easement has been in place for wine that has treated wines with an alcohol by volume (abv) between 11.5% and 14.5% as if their abv was 12.5%. It was announced in the 2024 Autumn Budget that the easement would end on 1 February 2025. There have been calls to make the easement permanent, however the government has confirmed that the easement would end as planned.

Pemberton Timber Frame Ltd from Kent has been fined and ordered to pay costs following an avoidable injury to one of its workers. The company manufactures timber frame structures for the construction industry. One of its workers was operating a panel saw and was asked to perform a rip cut on a length of timber, i.e. cut down its thickness.