In December 2003 the then DTI (now BIS) announced that it would introduce domestic employment regulations for which it has responsibility on two dates each year: April 6th (the start of the tax year) and October 1st (the annual date on which the minimum wage is revised). In February 2005, HSE decided to follow suit and implement changes on the same two dates each year.
A frequently updated list of new and draft employment law related statutory instruments is available on the emplaw website.
For Health & Safety "in the pipeline" the CMS Cameron McKenna Health & Safety calendar, May 2011 contains a mine of information.
See also notes at Bills before Parliament
There follows below an index of links to notes in this program on some of the more important employment law topics currently subject to proposed changes:
| SUBJECT | click for MAIN RELEVANT NOTES | proposed &/or likely implementation | |
| Agency Workers (new anti-discrimination rules) | Employment Agencies/2010 regulations | 1st October 2011 | |
| Asbestos (pleural plaques claims compensation scheme closing date) | Health and Safety at work/asbestos | 31st July 2011 | |
| Bribery Act 2010 | Acts of Parliament etc/Bribery Act 2010 | deferred from April 2011 | |
| Compensation limits | Compensation/2011 limit increases | 1st February (annually) | |
| Corporate Manslaughter (custody provisions to be implemented plus MoD extension) | Acts of Parliament etc/Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 | Summer 2011 | |
| Equality Act 2010 (introduction of dual discrimination claims) | Equality Act 2010/dual discrimination | April 2011 (now likely to be postponed) | |
| Equality Act 2010 (positive discrimination in recruitment and promotion) | Equality Act 2010/positive action | 6th April 2011 | |
| Flexible working (extension to parents with children under 18) | Flexible Working/2003 rules | ||
| Immigration (EU 'blue card' directive) | Council Directive 2009/50/EC | 19th June 2011 | |
| Immigration Bill (draft) | Bills before Parliament/Immigration Bill (draft) | 2011?? | |
| Minimum Wage increases | Minimum Wage/2010 and 2011 increases | 1st October (annually) | |
| Parental leave (increase from 3 to 4 months) | Parental leave/an outline of the right | 8th March 2012 (12 months' extension possible) | |
| Partnership law | Partnerships/Partnerships Bill | draft only - not known | |
| Paternity Leave and Pay (introduction of additional rights) | statutory paternity pay (''SPP'') | if expected week of childbirth/adoption begins on or after 3rd April 2011 | |
| Pensions (employers to register employees in their own qualifying scheme or a "NEST" personal accounts scheme) | Pensions/2008 Pensions Act | October 2012 (for large employers) | |
| Pensions (equalisation and increase of State Pension Age for men and women) | Pensions/equalisation of pension ages | April 2016 to April 2046 | |
| Protection of Children (the "Children's Barred List" and the "Adult's Barred List" replace the previous List 99, the Protection of Children Act List ("POCA") and the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list ("POVA")). | Acts of Parliament etc/Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 | to be announced | |
| Retirement Age (scrapping of the "default retirement age"). | Age discrimination/retirement | 1st October 2011 (phased in over previous 6 months). | |
| School leaving age (effective increase to 18) | compulsory school age | to 17 in 2013 and to 18 in 2015 (proposedl) | |
| Self employed (equal treatment directive) | EU Directive 2010/41 (equal treatment for the self-employed) | 5th August 2012 | |
| Statutory Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Pay (increase from £124.88 to £128.73) | Statutory maternity pay (''SMP'') and/or maternity allowance and/or Statutory adoption pay | 3rd April 2011 | |
| Statutory Redundancy Pay (increase in week's pay limit to £400) | Redundancy Pay/calculation of statutory redundancy pay/basic calculation | 1st February 2011. | |
| Statutory Sick Pay (increase ifrom £79.15 to £81.60) | statutory sick pay (''SSP'') | 6th April 2011. | |
| Time off for training (extended to firms with 250 or less employees) | Time off work/training | ||
| Working time - doctors in training | Working Time Regulations/doctors | 1st August 2009 (final stage - 48 hrs max pw, partly postponed until 31st July 2011) | |
| Works Councils | European Law/works councils | 5th June and 1st October 2011 |