The Queen’s Speech was delivered in the Houses of Parliament on 14 October 2019. The Queen set out details of legislation that the government intends to address in the forthcoming Parliamentary session. Key points of interest in relation to the employment sector are as follows:
- Tips and service charges. The government is proposing to legislate to require employers to pass on all tips and service charges to workers. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill would also require tips collected by employers to be distributed on a fair and transparent basis and would introduce a statutory Code of Practice setting out the principles for fair distribution.
- Employment reform and the Good Work Plan. The government has reiterated its commitment to the Good Work Plan, although no new legislation has been proposed. The Queen’s Speech referred to measures currently under consideration in consultations on a single enforcement body.
- Immigration. The government proposes to introduce a new immigration bill. The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill would end free movement in UK law and allow the government to align the treatment of EU citizens arriving after January 2021 with non-EU citizens. It will lay the foundations for a new points-based immigration system from 2021, expressed to be based on people’s skills and contributions to the UK, and will clarify the immigration status of Irish citizens once the free movement framework is repealed. The government reiterated its commitment to ensuring that EU citizens resident in the UK have the right to remain under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). The new bill will confirm the deadline for applications to be made under the EUSS. It will also give the government power to make changes to the current rules for access to benefits and social security coordination for EU nationals.
We will keep you updated so keep an eye on our updates for more information.
