The Transport (Scotland) Bill was passed in Holyrood recently by 56 out of 129 MSPs with 29 votes against and 18 abstentions.
This Bill contains an option for Councils to introduce a work place parking levy which employers will be able to pass on to employees if they choose. The Bill also includes provision for low emission zones, with Glasgow being the first Local Authority to introduce a low emission zone plan.
INCREASE TO THE NATIONAL LIVING WAGE
Whichever political party wins the much-anticipated next general election, the national living wage is liable to rise.
At the recent Conservative Party Conference the Chancellor promised to increase the national living wage, (NLW) to £10.50. The current rate is £8.21 and is only available to those aged 25 and over. The propose rise will be achieved over 5 years and the target has been set to match 2/3rds of median earnings. The qualifying age for the NLW will also be lowered to 21.
In contrast, the Labour Party at their conference committed to a “real living wage” of £10.00 per hour by 2020 for those aged over 16.
EUROPEAN WHISTLEBLOWING DIRECTIVE
The EU Justice & Home Affairs Council has adopted a directive of the European Parliament and Council on protecting persons who report breaches of EU law. Much of the content of this directive is already contained within the UK law on whistleblowing but there are some differences between the provisions of PIDA (Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998) which relates to protections of those making disclosures relating to breaches of UK law and the directive which relates to breaches of EU law.
The directive will come into force 20 days after it has been published and member states will have 2 years from then to transpose the directive into national law.
The differences between the UK and EU directive include that under the directive organisations with 50 or more employees will be required to establish internal reporting channels and also respond to any reported concerns within 3 months (or 6 months for complex cases). They will also have the right to make an external disclosure to a competent national authority or in limited cases a public disclosure.
