Legislation / Legal

DWP: The detail behind the Welfare Reform Act 2012 has been published.  The implementation of key reforms within the Act requires the passage of regulations which are now available for scrutiny.   At the heart of these regulations is the detail behind Universal Credit, designed to simplify the benefits system and make work pay.
Press release & links
 
OFT: From 1 July 2012, businesses will be able to apply to the OFT for the removal of land use restrictions which limit competition against any of the UK's seven largest grocery retailers

The procedure will involve the OFT testing the extent of grocery competition in a given local area when an application is made. This analysis will determine whether a restrictive covenant or exclusivity arrangement benefiting any of the UK's 7 largest grocery retailers should be lifted.
Press release & links
 
WAG: A draft Bill setting out the legal framework for consent to the donation of organs & tissues in Wales for transplantation has been published.   The draft Human Transplantation (Wales) Billpaves the way for a soft opt-out system of organ & tissue donation in Wales, on which the Welsh Government has already consulted.
Press release & links
 
CLG: Housing Minister Grant Shapps said the Government would back a new Bill, introduced in Parliament last week by Conservative MP for Watford Richard Harrington, which would make the subletting of social homes a criminal offence
 
Estimates suggest that between 50,000 & 160,000 social homes are unlawfully occupied across the country. Tenancy cheats can earn thousands of pounds a year renting their social homes out to private tenants, while thousands of families are languishing on social housing waiting lists. However, if caught these cheats face little more than losing their tenancy.
Press release & links
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