News from Business Eye

PRE-BUDGET REPORT 2007
The Government has announced the Pre-Budget Report 2007 - this article will summarise issues relevant to businesses. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/549420.html

EQUALITY & HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
The Equality & Human Rights Commission has now been launched and replaces the three former equality commissions - the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The new website is now live with dedicated sections to issues on disability, gender and race, along with separate areas on age, sexual orientation, religion & belief and human rights. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/549925.html

HMRC WARNS OF CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY SCHEME (CIS) PENALTIES
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has now started charging penalties for all Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) returns not received by the due date. This includes returns due from the start of the new scheme between May - September 07, including nil returns. Any return not received from contractors by the due date will now be liable to a fixed penalty of £100.00 and a further penalty for every additional month that the return remains outstanding. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/548855.html

NEW FINANCIAL SERVICES AUTHORITY (FSA) MEASURES TO HELP SMALL FIRMS
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has announced new measures to increase its contact with small firms in the financial services industry, aiming to help them make faster progress in meeting the FSA's Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) initiative, and to identify more quickly those in need of regulatory attention. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/549131.html

HSE WARNS ON FALLS FROM VEHICLES
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has launched an awareness campaign warning of the risk of falls from vehicles at work. Figures released in 2004-05 showed that the transport industry had one of the worse records for major injuries due to falls from vehicles, and that the sector accounted for 31% of all workplace fatalities. Every year 2,000 workers are seriously injured after falling from their vehicle. HSE's ongoing workplace transport campaign warns workers to take sensible precautions to minimise risks in all vehicle-related work. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/550234.html

PATENT AGREEMENT AIMS TO SAVE BRITISH BUSINESSES OVER £10M A YEAR
Intellectual Property & Quality Lord Triesman has announced that the London Agreement has been approved, which could save British businesses over £10 million a year. The agreement will come into effect in early 2008 and could halve the translation costs of a typical patent granted by the European Patent Office (EPO). Businesses will save more than £2,000 for a typical European patent application. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/550264.html

UK ACCOMMODATION COMMON STANDARDS
The new UK common standards schemes have now become effective for accommodation in Wales. Accommodation businesses will have already received a grading visit and assessment report advising them of their grade from October 07, along with what they need to improve or introduce if they wish to achieve a higher grading. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/549181.html

MARKETING TOOLKIT FOR TOURISM BUSINESSES
The Welsh Assembly Government scheme Visit Wales has produced a marketing toolkit for tourism businesses in Wales, providing advice and suggestions to help plan and executive marketing campaigns. The toolkit includes information, exercises and examples of how other Welsh tourism businesses have made marketing work for them. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/549185.html

ENVIROWISE URGES BUSINESSES TO REDUCE THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Envirowise is urging businesses in Wales to start thinking about reducing their impact on the environment, saying that just one hour a week could help save the planet. The suggestion comes as business managers have revealed they are struggling to find time to consider the effect their company has on the environment. A quarter of those surveyed by Envirowise felt they could only spare an hour a week or less to take action, however Envirowise says that even a small amount of time is enough to implement quick and easy measures to help the environment and save money. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/549295.html

CONSULTATION ON RECYCLED PLASTIC FOR USE IN CONTACT WITH FOOD
The Food Standards Agency is currently running a consultation on proposals for a regulation on recycled plastic for use in contact with food. The regulation is likely to be proposed for adoption in December 07. The closing date for responses is 28th November 07. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/550566.html

CAMPAIGN TO DECLARE WALES A FAIR TRADE NATION
A campaign aiming to declare Wales as the world's first Fair Trade Nation by the end of 2007 has been given a boost by Jane Davidson, Minister for the Environment, Sustainability & Housing. To achieve a Fair Trade National status 75% of people in Wales need to be buying a fair trade product every year, with 40% of people regularly buying the products. Fair trade products allow producers to be ensured a fair price covering the cost of production and guaranteeing a sustainable and living income. Producers of fair trade products receive support to gain the knowledge and skills needed to develop their businesses and increase sales. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/549436.html

IMPROVING HEALTH OF WORKING AGE PEOPLE
The Government has launched a 'call for evidence' as part of the first ever review of the health of the working age population, and is seeking information from businesses as part of the consultation. The closing date for responses is 30th November 07. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/549623.html

WARNING FOR LANDLORDS ON CO POISONING
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has warned landlords and homeowners of the dangers of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning during CO Awareness Week. Research commissioned by the HSE in 2006 shows that 45% of households were unaware of the dangers of CO poisoning from gas appliances. Landlords are required by law to have their tenants' gas appliances and flues maintained with annual safety checks carried out. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/549935.html

PENSION SCHEMES TO BE E-FILED
Pension schemes should now submit certain information electronically to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), which was previously accepted on paper. Pension scheme administrators now need to electronically file applications to register a scheme, registered scheme returns, accounting for tax returns, scheme administrator declarations, event reports, notifications of the winding-up of a scheme and notice of a scheme administrator terminating their appointment. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/550045.html

ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITS FOR INDUSTRIAL & WASTE ACTIVITIES
New environmental permit regulations are being introduced for industrial and waste activities that could harm human health or the environment unless they are controlled. A single environmental permit comes into place under the Environmental Permitting Programme (EPP) from April 08 - a joint Better Regulation initiative between the Environment Agency and the Welsh Assembly Government - combining the previous waste management licence (WML) and pollution prevention & control (PPC) systems, aiming to make it simpler and less costly for businesses to be environmentally responsible. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/550059.html

ACAS ENCOURAGES BUSINESSES TO SEEK ADVICE TO AVOID EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNALS
ACAS is encouraging businesses to seek advice in order to avoid employment tribunals, saving millions of pounds. The alert follows new independent research commissioned by ACAS, which found that businesses seeking advice helped to avert 16,000 employment tribunals and save £120 million. The research also identified redundancy, lay-offs and business transfers as the biggest workplace worries for British employees. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/550567.html

EMPLOYERS URGED TO ENCOURAGE READING
Ed Balls, Children, Sports & Families Secretary, has launched the National Year of Reading which starts in January 08, aiming to encourage everyone of any age to discover the pleasure of reading. The Secretary has urged employers to be creative and turn their old smoking rooms into 'mini libraries' to help improve the reading culture in the UK. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/550673.html

CONSUMER MINISTER ENCOURAGES TOY SAFETY
Consumer Minister Gareth Thomas has called on the toy industry to redouble its efforts on safety. The minister said that the vast majority of toys are fine but it is the few that aren't safe which could undermine parents' confidence, and even if they're recalled before they reach the consumer it could still lead to shortages in popular items, especially with the build up to the Christmas period. For further information please visit: http://www.businesseye.org.uk/550913.html