The proposals aim to ensure that devolution can continue to work for everyone; that all devolved policy areas stay devolved, while maintaining certainty for business by ensuring that rules and standards across the UK are mutually recognised, so that trade is as easy for business as possible.

A 4-week consultation opened on 16 July, sourcing views from businesses across all four nations of the UK. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are consulting on the options set out in the white paper. Please respond by close of play on 13 August. Find the paper here.


Face coverings at work – a reminder

Guidance on face covering, their role in reducing the transmission of coronavirus, the settings in which they are recommended, and how they should be safely used and stored is available here. It is not compulsory for shop or supermarket staff to wear face coverings in England, although employers should consider recommending their use where appropriate and where other mitigations are not in place. There is no universal face coverings guidance for workplaces because of the variety of work environments in different industries. Employers should continue to follow COVID-19 secure guidelines to reduce the proximity and duration of contact between employees.


Pilots announced for return of spectators to elite sports events

Sporting events will allow fans to return from 1 October with social distancing in place, if it is safe to do so. The Government has announced that a small number of sporting events will be used to pilot the safe return of spectators through late July and early August – with a view to reopen competition venues for sports fans, with social distancing measures in place, from October 2020. Find out more here.


Coronavirus Business Impacts Tracker - tranche 10  

The results of the last tranche will be announced tomorrow and we are now collecting data for tranche 10 which runs from 20 July - 24 July. Please assist us get the most accurate and up to date information on what is happening in our area by completing the survey here.


Think you are safe working at home?

At tomorrow’s Safari Networking event Sam Rudd, from the Labsec department at Green Duck, will talk about how cyber criminals are finding and taking advantage of people working remotely. Register your place here.