Queen’s Speech delivered in the House of Lords in scaled-back ceremony
12 May 2021
On 11 May 2021, the Queen officially reopened Parliament, and provided an overview of what the Government’s priorities will be for the year ahead.
In a scaled-back ceremony, designed to consider coronavirus-related restrictions, the Queen spoke for ten minutes and discussed ‘levelling up’, the Armed Forces, security, infrastructure, housing, education and the environment.
Of key interest to payroll professionals was the reference to the eight new freeports that will be established in England, and the National Insurance (NI) break for freeport employers to be included in a National Insurance Contributions Bill. More information is available here.
The Skills and Post-16 Education Bill also has the potential to impact the work of payroll departments as a new “flexible loan” system is planned, and it is hoped that this will encourage higher levels of participation in further education in England.
Additionally, a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office stated that there would be a change to the current student loans system, as new legislative measures will work towards:
“Enabling a new student finance system to transform the current student loans system, which will give every adult access to a flexible loan for higher-level education and training at university or college, useable at any point in their lives.”
CIPP comment
Noticeably absent from the speech was any update on the progress of the Employment Bill, which was due to contain measures to enhance and protect existing workers’ rights. It was also to include steps on the creation of a Single Enforcement Body. The CIPP’s Policy team will keep a look out for any updates in this space, and will publish them in News Online and across social media platforms.
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