On 1 April 2016 the National Living Wage will become law.

The Government has been encouraging employers to prepare for the changes by following these four simple steps:

-know the correct rate of pay, £7.20 per hour for staff aged 25 and over

-find out which staff are eligible for the new rate

-update the company payroll in time for 1 April 2016

-check that staff under 25 are earning at least the right rate of National Minimum Wage

The National Living Wage will provide a direct pay boost to over one million workers in the UK this year providing financial security for working people.

By taking these measures, companies will be able to avoid falling foul of the law when it takes effect.

The new National Living Wage is a key part of the Government’s plan to continue to move to a higher wage, lower tax and lower welfare society, building a more productive country and giving families the security of paid work.

You can find out more by:

-visiting www.livingwage.gov.uk

-joining the conversation on Twitter by following @bisgovuk and the hashtag #NationalLivingWage

Treasury Select Committte

Subject: Budget 2016 

Tuesday 22 March 2016 Meeting starts at 10.00am

• Witnesses: Robert Chote, Chairman,
• Sir Stephen Nickell and Graham Parker, Members,
• Budget Responsibility Committee, O
• Office for Budget Responsibility

In London: Two “big beasts” — as the U.K. press likes to call them — in both the Tory party and the Brexit debate will face the Treasury Select Committee in back-to-back hearings this week. First, on Wednesday, Johnson, the leader of the Out camp and then, on Thursday, Osborne.

Attatched is a useful calander showing the key events in the build up to the Uk referendum on June 23rd.

The new secretary of state for work and pensions Stephen Crabb in his first outing in his new postion has argued that - "behind every statistic is a human being and perhaps sometimes in government we forget that" – and he has promised no "planned" extra cuts - rather than ruling out taking the axe to the benefits budget in future.

Commenting on the announcement this afternoon by the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Stephen Crabb MP, that there would be “no further plans to make welfare savings beyond the very substantial savings legislated for by parliament two weeks ago”, Torsten Bell Director of the Resolution Foundation said:

“This is welcome news if it means the government has ruled out low-and-middle income families being asked to make-up the £4bn shortfall from the u-turn on disability benefit cuts through further reductions to in-work support.

“But very significant cuts to Universal Credit are already due to take place over the course of the parliament. These cuts will reduce how much work pays for millions of families and leave some thousands of pounds out of pocket.

“If meaningful today’s announcement also further reduces the flexibility the Chancellor has to respond to any further deterioration in the public finances. Tax rises, further departmental spending cuts, or rethinking the scale of any surplus, would have to take the strain instead. The first port of call should be reversing recent tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the richest households."

“But very significant cuts to Universal Credit are already due to take place over the course of the parliament. These cuts will reduce how much work pays for millions of families and leave some thousands of pounds out of pocket.

“If meaningful today’s announcement also further reduces the flexibility the Chancellor has to respond to any further deterioration in the public finances. Tax rises, further departmental spending cuts, or rethinking the scale of any surplus, would have to take the strain instead. The first port of call should be reversing recent tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the richest households."

Graph courtesty of the Resolution Foundation 

SNP Offer to help pensions minister resolve women’s pension inequalities.

The Scottish National Party has today offered to help Pensions Minister Ros Altmann end women’s pension inequality after she said her previous attempts had been stopped by former Work and Pensions Minister Iain Duncan Smith.

In a statement, Ros Altmann said “It has been a hugely challenging time for me as he (IDS) was preventing me from speaking to the public and has often been obstructive to my efforts to resolve important pension policy issues such as on women’s pensions.”

But just last month, Ros Altmann said she had never supported the aims of the Women Against State Pension Inequality (WASPI) campaign and has shown little sympathy for women born in the 1950s who have been affected by claiming that they were told of the changes to the state pension age.

Ian Blackford MP, SNP spokesperson for Pensions, has written to Ros Altmann to request a meeting to discuss how the SNP can help Ros Altmann meet her aim of resolving the important issue.

Ian Blackford MP said:

“If Ros Altmann was really committed to resolving the appalling way that women born in the 1950s have been treated at the hands of the UK government she would have done a lot more than try to use Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation for her own political gain – but we must put political differences aside in order to reach a resolution.

“The Pensions Minister has refused to support the WASPI campaign and has sought to discredit the tireless work these women have done to highlight the very real plight they face - thousands of women were not informed of increases to the state pension age and have had their retirement plans completely shattered.

“The SNP agrees with pension equalisation, but we do not support the deeply unfair manner in which these changes have been made and as the UK government considers its response to the Work and Pension committee’s recent report which calls for action, it is clear that transitional measures for these women must be introduced.

“The SNP are more than happy to meet with Ros Altmann in order to develop a strategy with her to end women’s pension inequality and I look forward to working with her on this important issue.”

Blue Prism, a U.K.-based virtual workforce company, debuted Friday on the alternative investment market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. Its share price quickly jumped to 112.5 pence, well over the initial offering price of 78 pence.

The robot software specialist is the first of its kind to trade on a public market. According to Blue Prism CEO and co-founder Alastair Bathgate, the company’s listing will help support its international expansion into so-called robotic process automation (RPA).

These robots are programed to automate routine back-office tasks, enabling the computerization of manual administrative processes. In a statement, Blue Prism said its biggest market opportunity lies in the increasing adoption of RPA by large enterprises, such as financial companies, to carry out billing, claims, customer service and HR tasks.

The robo-business field is expanding rapidly in the U.K. Earlier this week, the Financial Conduct Authority welcomed the use of robo-advisers, a piece of portfolio management software, to reduce the cost of financial advice for all customers, including pensioners, savers and younger people.

One of the first financial institutions to take up this suggestion was Royal Bank of Scotland. It announced Tuesday that 550 employees across its investment advice and protection teams, which provide tips and guidance on various financial products, will be replaced by robo-advisers.

RBS posted a £2 billion (€2.5 billion) loss at the end of February and decided that financial advice by its human employees will be offered only to its clients with more than £250,000 to invest.

Vienna/Strasbourg/Warsaw, 21 March 2016 – On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the heads of Europe’s main intergovernmental human rights institutions call for a strong response to xenophobic attacks against migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, and call on governments and state authorities to uphold their international obligations in this regard.

With the drownings in the Mediterranean persisting as refugees, asylum seekers and migrants continue to risk their lives to reach safety, this is the time to strengthen our commitment to the right to life and to dignity, said Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the ), Michael Georg Link, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and Christian Ahlund, Chair of the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI).

“As Europe confronts the greatest migrant crisis since the Second World War, the elimination of racial discrimination is a priority like never before,” said FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty. “Our continent needs to eradicate every vestige of exclusion and marginalisation of the outsider if it is to rise to the challenge. The international treaties to combat racism provide the necessary roadmap.”

In a number of countries, there has been a marked increase in attacks on refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, some of which have been fatal. Hate speech rooted in hostility to ethnic, religious and cultural diversity is being expressed ever more openly, not only by extremist groups but also by politicians from across the political spectrum and on social media. Such rhetoric fuels intolerance towards ethnic and religious minorities, making immediate and resolute action by governments and state authorities all the more urgent.

“Past experience has shown that democracy can be undermined and swept aside where calls to deny the right to equality and dignity of the most vulnerable are listened to and acted upon,” said ECRI’s Chair, Christian Ahlund. “Therefore, discouraging and preventing hate speech through demonstrating the danger that it poses and through counter-speech is of the utmost importance.”

In order to combat the further spread of prejudice, human rights education and training that reaches out to all age groups and professions is vital.

"In the current situation, reaffirming our commitment to the values and principles of tolerance, equality and non-discrimination is crucial,” said Michael Link, director of the OSCE/ODIHR. "We have a duty to condemn hate crimes and all other manifestations of racism and xenophobia, respond swiftly and effectively to intolerant behaviour, and to counter hate speech in the messages we deliver. This has to be accompanied by a particular emphasis on awareness-raising and other educational initiatives aimed at countering racist messages and promoting mutual understanding."

The heads of all three organisations call for greater efforts at the international, national and local levels to combat racism and discrimination, and pledge to continue their cooperation to maximise endeavours in this regard.

Civil war: Britain’s ruling Conservative Party is in disarray after the resignation of Iain Duncan Smith as work and pensions secretary. Duncan Smith’s move — to protest cuts to disability benefits in last week’s budget — is a direct attack on the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne.

The departure of Duncan Smith, an avowed Euroskeptic, deepens the internal party rift over the Brexit referendum. Senior Tory politicians are getting more and more concerned that the chasm opened by both Brexit and, now, the budget, will inflict lasting damage to the party, even after the June 23 vote.

How to get out of this mess — a senior Tory speaks: Last week, before the Duncan Smith drama, I had the chance to speak to a Tory grandee who laid out the most likely scenario for Brexit and beyond. The conclusion will not be easy to digest in Brussels, and Paris and Berlin: Even if Britain stays in the EU, it will end up being more Euroskeptic than in the past.

Brussels could become Britain’s punchbag: Here’s the senior Tory politician’s rationale: If David Cameron wins the referendum, he will have to immediately start a process of “healing” the wounds suffered by his party in the past few months. That means appealing to the Euroskeptic wing of the party, led by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. Failing to do that could turn the Johnson faction into the de facto opposition to the government, more powerful than Labour under its left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn.

But to bring the Euroskeptics back into the tent, the Tory politician reasoned, Cameron will have to take a stance on European policies that is even tougher than Britain’s current semi-detached position. The senior Tory expects Cameron to use every aspect of the deal secured at last month’s EU summit to resist further integration, protect the City of London and allay the public’s fears over immigration (for more on that, see below).

M.E.’s take on the foreign policy implications: Despite what German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble and others have been saying, a victorious Cameron would be less, not more, engaged with Europe. Financial services dossiers would be particularly impacted, and the right of the City to be regulated domestically would come even more to the forefront of the U.K. policy agenda. Discussions with more “integrationist” members such as Germany and France will become more and more tense.

M.E.’s take on the domestic policy implications: Osborne’s leadership hopes are dwindling by the minute. Some Tories are starting to speak about the possibility of Cameron reneging on his pledge to step down before the 2020 general election. A third term for Cameron “could be a way for David to protect George and avoid someone else [like Johnson] taking over,” the senior Tory said.

The Scottish National Party has today described Iain Duncan Smith’s resignation as a “distraction” from the real issue of cuts to the welfare and disability budget.
 
Stewart Hosie MP, Economy spokesperson and Deputy Leader of the SNP, called for the cuts to be “immediately and completely” scrapped.
 
Commenting, Stewart Hosie MP, Deputy Leader of the SNP said:
 
“Iain Duncan Smith’s crocodile tears are a distraction from the real issue at hand – while the deep divisions at the top of the Tory party widen and the mud-slinging continues, disabled people and those on low-incomes are still expected to bear the brunt of the Tories’ obsession with austerity.
 
“The UK government was warned that slashing £12 billion from the welfare budget would do real and lasting harm but the Tories are determined to plough on, cutting even more from the disability budget.  What this resignation proves beyond doubt is that the Tories’ must abandon their ideological commitment to austerity cuts.
 
“David Cameron and George Osborne must immediately and completely scrap these cuts.”

Stewart Hosie (born 3 January 1963) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for Dundee East since 2005. He has been Depute Leader of the SNP since November 2014, and is also currently the SNP's Parliamentary Group Deputy Leader and Economy spokesperson.