2011 - 2013 Employment Legislation Timetable

Single equality duty introduced April 2011
The Equality Act 2010 replaces the current public sector duties to promote equality with a single equality duty extending to other protected characteristics.

April 2011
The primary employee threshold for national insurance contributions increases by £570. National insurance contributions increase by 1% for employees. The personal allowance for income tax for basic rate tax payers under the age of 65 is increased by £1,000.

Insurance thresholds and contributions for employers  April 2011 Employers' national insurance thresholds increase by £21 per week above indexation.
Employers' national insurance contributions increase by 1%.

Right to make a request in relation to study or training for organisations with fewer than 250 employees 6 April 2011
The Apprenticeships, Children and Learning Act 2009 introduces a statutory right to make a request in relation to study or training for employees in organisations with fewer than 250 employees. Employers will be obliged to consider seriously requests that they receive, but will be able to refuse a request where there is a good business reason for doing so. The right to make a request in relation to study or training was introduced for employees in organisations with 250 or more employees on 6 April 2010.

Default retirement age abolished 6 April 2011
Employers are prohibited from issuing new notifications of retirement using the default retirement age. An employer that issues a notification of retirement before 6 April 2011 will be able to retire the employee if his or her retirement date is before 1 October 2011. An employer cannot prescribe a compulsory retirement age, unless it can justify it as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.

Right to request flexible working extended to parents of children under 18 April 2011
The Government grants parents of children under 18 the right to request flexible working. This extends the right to request to work flexibly already conferred to parents of children under the age of 17, or under the age of 18 if the child is disabled, and to employees who care for adults aged 18 or over.

EU blue-card Directive must be implemented 19 June 2011
The Directive defines conditions of entry and residence for more than three months of people who are not EU citizens and apply to be admitted to the EU for the purpose of high-qualified employment. Such people will be issued with an "EU blue card".

Equal treatment for agency workers 1 October 2011 The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/93) give agency workers the same basic employment conditions after 12 weeks in a given job as if they had been employed directly by the end-user. The Regulations implement the Temporary Agency Workers Directive (2008/104/EC).

Registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority
To be confirmed Further implementation of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 was due to include voluntary registration with the Independent Safeguarding Authority for all new entrants from 26 July 2010. Employers would have been obliged to check all new entrants from 1 November 2010. Individuals already working in a regulated activity and who have not moved into a new role with a new employer would have been able to apply for registration from 1 April 2011, with mandatory registration by 31 July 2015. The dates for registration are on hold and the Government is to review the vetting and barring scheme as a whole. The Act can be viewed on the OPSI website.

Personal accounts scheme starts up under Pensions Act 2008 October 2012
The Pensions Act provides that from 2012 all eligible workers, who are not already in a workplace pension scheme, are to be automatically enrolled into either their employers' pension scheme or a new savings vehicle, known as a personal account scheme. To encourage participation, employees' pension contributions will be supplemented by contributions from employers and tax relief.

School leaving age is raised to 18 2013
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. It also amends legislation about the provision of adult education and training, and support for young people.

State pension age rises to 66 years
Between 2024 and 2026
The Pensions Act 2007 raises the state pension age from 65 to 66 years to reflect the ageing nature of the population.

State pension age rises to 67 years
Between 2034 and 2036
The Pensions Act 2007 raises the state pension age from 66 to 67 years to reflect the ageing nature of the population.

State pension age rises to 68 years
Between 2044 and 2046
The Pensions Act 2007 raises the state pension age from 67 to 68 years to reflect the ageing nature of the population.