Legislative Changes For 2015

• Changes to statutory adoption leave and pay – April 2015

The Children and Families Act 2014 brings statutory adoption pay into line with statutory maternity pay by setting it at 90% of normal earnings for the first six weeks of the adoption pay period.

• Age limit for unpaid parental leave extended to 18 – April 2015

The right to take unpaid parental leave currently applies to parents of children under five (or 18 if the child is disabled).

• Shared parental leave and pay introduced – April 2015

Changes are made to maternity and paternity leave to give parents more flexibility as to when they take time off.

• Paternity and Adoption Leave (Amendment) Regulations 2014 come into force – April 2015

The Regulations amend provisions relating to adoption leave in the Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002 (2002/2788).

• Paternity and Adoption Leave (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2014 come into force – April 2015

Paternity and Adoption Leave (Amendment) (No 2) Regulations 2014 amend provisions relating to adoption and paternity leave in the Paternity and Adoption Leave Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/2788).

• New rate of statutory maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental pay –April 2015

The rate of statutory maternity pay, statutory paternity pay and statutory adoption pay increases. Statutory shared parental pay is also set at the same level.

• Statutory sick pay increases – April 2015

The standard rate of statutory sick pay increases.

• Employer national insurance contributions for workers aged under 21 abolished - April 2015

In Autumn statement 2013 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that employer national insurance contributions for workers aged under 21 who earn up to £42,285 are abolished.

• Surrogate parents eligible for adoption leave – April 2015

The Children and Families Act 2014 permits parents who have a child through a surrogacy arrangement to take ordinary paternity leave and pay, adoption leave and pay and shared parental leave and pay, provided that they meet the eligibility criteria.

• Changes to income tax allowances and thresholds come into force – April 2015

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Budget 2014 an increase in the personal income tax allowance to £10,500, and an increase in the higher rate tax threshold to £42,285.

• Duty to participate in education or training until 18 comes into force – June 2015

The Education and Skills Act 2008 changes the statutory framework to put a duty on all young people in England to participate in education or training until the age of 18.

• Tax-free childcare scheme comes into force – September 2015

Families where both parents work and each parent earns less than £150,000 per year are eligible to receive 20% of their yearly childcare costs.

• Section 56 Data Protection Act 1998 comes into force - March 2015

Section 56 of the Data Protection Act 1998 prohibits an employer from requiring an individual or third party to provide information that the individual or third party has obtained in response to a subject access request under s.7 of the Data Protection Act 1998.

• ​EU General Data Protection Regulation comes into force - To be confirmed

The EU General Data Protection Regulation makes changes to the current Data Protection Directive.

• Salary requirement for tier 2 workers introduced - To be confirmed

Skilled migrant workers who apply to settle in the UK from April 2016 under the tier 2 general and sportsperson categories of the points-based system are required to earn at least £35,000 (or the appropriate amount for their job, if higher).

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