22 February 2022
This week’s update covers:
- 'Living with COVID'
- Scottish Government: Living safely with Covid
- NICs relief for veterans
- Statutory pay tables updated
- Scottish Government: COVID Economic Recovery Fund
- Northern Ireland: Update from Finance Minister on the Draft Budget
- Northern Ireland: Health Minister announces easing of COVID Regulations
'Living with COVID'
On Monday, 21 February, in the House of the Commons, the Prime Minister outlined the content of the Government's publication 'Living with COVID'.
The key messages for Members in England include:
- Ending legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test result from 24 February.
- End of routine contact tracing on 24 February.
- Ending of free testing for the general public from 1 April.
- Ending of guidance for voluntary COVID-status certification for certain venues from 1 April.
Richard Lambert, NHBF chief executive, says: “The hair & beauty sector is an important part of the British economy. We’re are grateful that the Government has recognised our contribution in keeping the public safe during the pandemic. We are in the process of communicating the new guidance to our Members and have updated the FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions - that are available on our website for businesses right across the sector”.
The Press Notice on the Prime Minister’s announcement can be read here.
The publication 'Living with COVID' can be read in full here.
Scottish Government: Living safely with Covid
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed the details of the updated Strategic Framework to manage COVID-19 primarily through public health advice, vaccination, and treatment rather than legal restrictions.
The First Minister set out an indicative timescale for remaining legal protections to be lifted:
Key points for Member are:
- Subject to the state of the pandemic the following measures are set to be lifted on 21 March:
- current legal requirements on the use of face coverings
- the requirement to have regard to guidance on Covid and to take reasonably practicable measures set out in the guidance. - People who test positive for COVID-19 will continue to be asked to self-isolate to reduce the risk of infecting other people.
- Any changes to the recommended period of self-isolation will be considered on an ongoing basis.
NICs relief for veterans
Businesses that have employed veterans who have had a career change and are now working in the hair & beauty sector can now claim their earnings. Business owners will need to pay the secondary Class 1 National Insurance contributions as normal and then claim them from 6 April 2022 onwards.
HMRC has published guidance for employers on how to claim National Insurance relief on the earnings of qualifying veterans.
Statutory pay tables updated
HMRC's tables for calculating Statutory Sick Pay, Statutory Maternity Pay, Statutory Paternity Pay for birth and adoption, Statutory Adoption Pay, and Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay for 2022 have been added. These tables will help business owners to manually calculate when statutory payments are due and what their employees are entitled to.
Scottish Government: COVID Economic Recovery Fund
The Scottish Government has announced a new £80 million Covid Economic Recovery Fund targeting support for businesses and communities to help Scotland as it moves to a new phase in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Councils will have the flexibility to target support either using existing schemes like Scotland Loves Local, Business Improvement Districts or place based investment programmes, or individual local authority grant schemes. Councils will also to able to use the funding to support low income households.
In addition, a further £3 million has been allocated to the City Centre Recovery Fund, which supports sustainable economic recovery for seven city local authority areas, including by driving footfall to businesses hit hard by the pandemic.
The Scottish Government will shortly publish a revised Strategic Framework, which will set out an updated approach to managing and recovering from COVID-19.
Read the full statement
Northern Ireland: Update from Finance Minister on the Draft Budget
NI Finance Minister Conor Murphy updated the Assembly on the Draft Budget and additional funding.
The key points for Members are:
- It was not possible to deliver a full Budget statement in Northern Ireland in the absence of the NI Executive.
- However, the draft budget consultation included a proposal to freeze both the domestic and non-domestic regional rates for the next three years. This freeze was intended to help with the rising costs being faced by families and businesses alike.
- The Finance Minister announced a rates freeze for one year only
- He will also progress with the £50 million rate relief package to support a rates holiday for businesses. This will provide a three-month rates holiday for retail, tourism, hospitality, leisure, childcare, newspapers, and airports, which are hardest hit by the pandemic.
Northern Ireland: Health Minister announces easing of COVID Regulations
Health Minister Robin Swann has announced that all COVID-19 legal restrictions in Northern Ireland will be replaced by guidance from February 15 2022.
Changes to the COVID-19 rules announced for Northern Ireland, coming into force include:
- Removal of the legal requirements around having reasonable measures to promote compliance and reasonable steps to minimise transmission.
- No longer need to collect visitor information.
- Face coverings are still required.