Providers will be hoping that the Government’s acceptance that previous guidance was misleading, as per the 26 July 2017 announcement, means that they will not need to repay alleged before February 2015. Even payments for that period are, in our view, something that the Government should not require, given the approach to enforcement taken by HMRC until summer 2016 about sleep-ins. This is in addition to the obvious failure to properly consider why time spent asleep in a sleep-in is working time when time spent asleep in a live-in care setting isn’t. The circumstances of the “sleep” in both settings is not materially different. With the Mencap case not being heard until March 2018, and the fact that the case won’t be considering an argument that a sleep-in is unmeasured work, we consider final certainty on this issue is still a long time away.
In the meantime, as the Government confirmed on 26 July 2017, it expects all employers to pay their workers as set out in the BEIS guidance ‘Calculating the National Minimum Wage’ and any employer underpaying their staff for “sleep-in” shifts following that date will be liable to pay financial penalties. Providers need to be aware that where a care worker is doing time/salaried work, even when they are asleep and waiting to work, HMRC will take the view that they are in fact likely to be working where:
Our team of NMW experts that have experience of, and can assist with:
For further information and assistance with any NMW issues or HMRC inspections, please contact Anna Dabek, Matthew Wort or your usual contact in our employment team.
On 23 July, trainees from Anthony Collins Solicitors will host an ‘experience day’, which will involve various activities and presentations, with lawyers and non-lawyers from across the firm.
In the second part of our series on contract management pitfalls, we look at the risks and opportunities presented by payment mechanisms in construction contracts.
Under most construction contracts, the contractor takes on the ground conditions risk. However, a recent case has demonstrated that the risk can fall on the employer.
The UK Government has been consulting on how it should promote social value in its procurements. Here is our response that we submitted to the consultation...
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 came into force on 1 June 2019.
A recent case in the Court of Appeal will no doubt bring a sigh of relief for employers, but a corresponding sigh of disappointment may be uttered for equality and gender balance in the workplace.
This briefing assists response to the consultation paper by outlining the consultation questions, providing some background information and prompting some thoughts and potential answers.
A report published on 29 May by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found that since 2009-10, local government spending on services has fallen on average by 21% in real terms.
A long-awaited decision of the Court of Appeal has clarified that a lower standard of proof should apply than previously thought before an Inquest can return a conclusion of suicide.
New regulations come into force on 1 June 2019, amending the Section 21 (s21) prescribed form template for use with assured shorthold tenancies.
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