The Information Commissioner's Office has published a code of practice on dealing with requests from individuals for personal information made under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). This code explains the rights of individuals and sets out practical advice for organisations dealing with a subject access request, including the circumstances when personal data is exempt from disclosure. Since the code does not have the force of law, compliance with its recommendations is not mandatory where it goes beyond the strict requirements of the DPA.
The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has issued a call for evidence on whether further changes are required to the whistleblowing legislation. Views are sought on whether there should be additional categories of qualifying disclosure, mandatory referral of whistleblowing claims to the relevant regulators and financial incentives to encourage whistleblowing. Responses are required by 1 November 2013.
Under the 'Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill 2013-14,' which is currently going through Parliament, trade unions will have to comply with stricter record-keeping requirements. For example, in order to ensure that their lists of members are kept up to date, unions will have to provide an annual membership audit certificate to the Certification Officer. It is hoped that the changes will improve the quality of information provided to employers in relation to strike ballots.
HM Revenue and Customs and BIS have each published guidance for employers and employees on the new employee shareholder status which came into force on 1 September 2013. The new status allows employees to give up various employment rights, including ordinary unfair dismissal and redundancy payments, in return for at least £2,000 worth of shares in the employer's company. BIS has also published model documents for employee-owned companies, including a trust deed and articles of association.
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