The Kings Speech : A Legal Takeaway
Reflecting on the contents of the King’s Speech, leading lawyer Paul Berwin commented: “At first glance, there are a number of interesting legal takeaways, specifically around data, property and people.”
“As a specialist in advising digital businesses, I was immediately drawn to plans to introduce an Information and Smart Data Bill. It will be interesting to see the details and whether, as is suggested, this helps the UK move closer to other, more advanced digital economies, such as Singapore and Estonia in the way digital data is used.”
“Labour’s proposed changes to planning laws have been grabbing the headlines since the election, generating a mixed response. I’d imagine that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will be greeted in a similar way. This is potentially good news for landowners, as the proposals to streamline the process for approving critical infrastructure projects could help them to unlock the untapped value in some development land. The compulsory purchase element, however, means that they, and the communities they live alongside may see development happening in areas they would not have chosen.”
“Beyond buildings, I was interested to see measures which, under the Employee Rights Bill, will seek to ban an exploitative use of zero-hours contracts, something which should help to safeguard the rights of vulnerable workers. So too with proposals to give protection from unfair dismissal from the first day someone enters employment. Businesses will need to respond to this with care, specifically looking at how probationary periods will be affected; they may become more important for business owners and managers to monitor, and need closer consideration before approving.”
“Though not a specific right, those who work in shops will also no doubt be pleased to see mention of a Crime and Policing Bill, which will aim to give new powers to police in the tackling of those who assault shopworkers or commit acts of antisocial behaviour more generally.”
