New laws for 2024 on everything from travel and smoking to vaping and work

2024 will see a host of changes in laws, rules, regulations and your household bills with some of the updates already in force from January 1. There will be changes in everything from travel and holiday rules to electric cars and vaping – as well as smoking, holidays from work, energy bills, dog ownership and tipping in restaurants. Here are some of the changes coming in 2024 that you need to know about.

Energy bills

The cap on energy bills changes from January 1.

The regulator’s price cap has risen by 5% from the previous GBP1,834 for a typical dual fuel household to GBP1,928. That close to GBP2,000 a year bill is the average – based on household consumption, so if you use more, you will pay more. Ofgem has warned bills will go up by another GBP16 in April 2024.

Households that have not yet done so are urged to submit meter readings to their supplier as quickly as possible to ensure they are charged correctly.

Travel rule changes

100ml liquids in hand luggage Passengers in the UK will soon be able to take up to two litres of liquids onboard planes in their hand luggage. In December 2022, the UK government announced that all airport security scanners nationwide would be upgraded by June 2024.

Until airports confirm the scanners are complete, existing rules stay in place. That means you can only take liquids under 100ml in your hand luggage but these must be in a re-sealable plastic bag that can be no larger than 20cm x 20cm and cannot exceed one litre. Fees for entering EU countries

UK holidaymakers will soon have to obtain a new document to enter all EU nations. The new travel permit will come at a fee, and has been introduced to enhance the security and enforce the borders of the Schengen zone. People from the UK who plan to visit the Schengen zone, which includes most EU countries in mainland Europe, will be charged around seven euros for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) visa waiver before they depart.

British passport holders could be turned away at borders if their ETIAS application is not approved, once the scheme is implemented. And as previously reported, there are a number of reasons people could see their application denied. New EU border controls

The entry/exit system (EES) is set to be brought in by autumn 2024, and will apply to any non-EU citizens travelling into EU countries. The digital process will include registering the person’s name, their type of the travel document, fingerprints and captured facial images, and the date and place of entry and exit. UK travellers have been warned that they could end up facing delays and long queues.

Tourist taxes In 2024, Venice is said to be introducing a EUR5 entrance fee, which will be levied on those coming for the day. Around 30million people visit the city each year.

Other destinations have upped their current tourist taxes. As of January 2024, tourists to Paris will have to fork out for a charge that is almost 200% higher than the current price. Officials in Amsterdam are bumping the tax there to 12.5% of hotel room rate, making it the highest per night in the world.

The Spanish city of Valencia has also announced plans to introduce a tourist tax for travellers who will stay in accommodation facilities, such as hotels, apartments, campsites and hostels. The fee will vary between EUR0.50 and EUR2 per night.

DWP sickness rule change

Employers, job centres, social workers and charities, as well as doctors, will be able to refer people for assessment and then further help such as medical treatment, training or life coaching if they are long-term ill while claiming benefits. Pilot schemes will begin in 2024 designed to “swoop in” on the sick and focus their treatment on staying in work.

Work coaches, physiotherapy and mental health treatment will be offered to people in danger of falling out of the workforce, as well as debt advice, therapeutic recreation and workplace adjustments. The reforms aim to make it easier for doctors to refer people to occupational health schemes will be tested to reduce the number that GPs sign off people from work. A record 2.6 million people are off work because of long-term sickness, adding billions of pounds to the welfare bill.

Period pants

Consumers will no longer pay VAT on “essential and environmentally-friendly” period pants from today, January 1, following a two-year campaign.

Women will save up to GBP2 on period pants on average – up to 16% – following the pledge to scrap the tax by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in the autumn statement 2023. It follows a campaign by brands, retailers, women’s groups and environmentalists dating back to 2021, when the so-called “tampon tax” was dropped from other period products such as pads, tampons and menstrual cups.

Cigarette sales ban

New rules on smoking are expected to come into force this year, beginning to raise the age at which you are allowed to buy cigarettes and tobacco. The Government believes that the new law will phase out smoking by young people by 2040.

The plan is that the minimum age for buying cigarettes will increase by one year every year.

Minimum wage to go up

The minimum employers are allowed to pay staff is set to rise in April. From April 1, employers will be required to pay everyone aged over 21 at least GBP11.44 per hour. This is up from GBP10.42, a rise of nearly 10%.

It is the first time 21 and 22 year olds are entitled to the national living wage, as it previously only applied to staff who were at least 23 years old. Those aged 18 to 20 will get a national minimum wage of GBP8.60 an hour – a rise of GBP1.11. The increase was announced in Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement in November.

XL bully ban comes into force

From December 31 it will be illegal to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, gift, rehome, abandon or allow these dogs to stray in England and Wales.

Owners will also be required to keep the pets on a lead or muzzle. It follows a string of fatal dog attacks which led to calls for laws to be tightened up. Rishi Sunak said in September XL Bully dogs were a “danger to our communities”.

Bosses banned from keeping tips

Employers will be banned from withholding tips from staff.

The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 will come into effect on July 1. This makes it unlawful for businesses to hold back service charges from their employees, ensuring staff receive the tips they have earned.

Changes to visa laws

From the spring social care workers will no longer be allowed to bring their partners and children on their visa. And visas won’t be granted for skilled workers unless they earn GBP29,000.

This was originally set to be GBP38,700. And people who want to bring a partner to the UK will also have to earn this amount.

Clampdown on vaping

Ministers hope to bring in new measures in 2024 to crack down on children who start vaping. The government plans to introduce restrictions on the sale of vapes to children – with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill due “as soon as possible”.

Flavours and descriptions of e-cigarettes will also be restricted so they are not specifically targeted at children. Other planned restrictions include on the sale of disposable vapes and regulating where vapes can be sold. It is also believed a new tax on vaping will be announced in the B udget in March – increasing the cost of the habit by at least 25%.

Spiking laws

The Government has announced the Criminal Justice Bill is being beefed up with specific provision for spiking.

In an announcement the Home Office said: “The step up to tackle spiking comes as the government prepares to clarify under the Criminal Justice Bill, that without any doubt, spiking is illegal. It will be backed with separate guidance, set in law, to provide a clear, unequivocal definition of what spiking is.”

Protection from redundancy during pregnancy

From April, workers who are pregnant or on maternity, adoption or shared parental leave will be given priority for redeployment if they face redundancy. It means they will have the right to be offered a suitable alternative role, if one is available.

This follows the Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Act being passed.

New electric car rules for manufacturers

New minimum targets for carmakers will come into effect in 2024, the Government announced earlier this year. Under the zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate, 22% of vehicles sold must be zero emission. This will rise gradually each year until it reaches 100% in 2035 – a date that was pushed back by five years.

In September Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “The path to zero emission vehicles announced today makes sure the route to get there is proportionate, pragmatic and realistic for families. “Our mandate provides certainty for manufacturers, benefits drivers by providing more options and helps grow the economy by creating skilled jobs.”

Fuel duty freeze may end in March

Since January 2011, fuel duty has been frozen to prevent its rise with inflation. The basic rate on diesel and petrol has been 52.95 pence per litre (ppl) as per the Office for Budget Responsibility, which includes the 5ppl cut the government granted until the end of March 2024, to help with the cost of living crisis.

However this could change in the Budget on March 6.

DVSA eyesight test changes

As it stands, those who can read a number plate from 20 metres away will pass the eyesight test. The plan said: “We are considering how the eyesight test is administered during a driving test and will engage with DVLA’s Medical Panel to ensure that any new procedures meet the current standards. “Potential changes to how we conduct the eyesight test were the subject of a public consultation.

Most respondents supported the proposal to have more flexibility about how we conduct the eyesight test. The aim of the change is to provide more flexibility about when the driving test is conducted and in different levels of light.” The DVSA said it wants to conduct “the eyesight check in the driving test in any level of light – not just good daylight”, and it would “engage with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s (DVLA) Medical Panel to ensure that any new procedures meet the current standards”.

E-scooters

The DVSA has said it will assist with policy support around the implementation of regulations for e-scooters in 2024. It added: “We will support DfT and other partners as they gather evidence to inform decisions on e-scooters and other new powered light vehicles including those with zero emissions.” Trials of electric scooters are now under way in 23 regions across England.

The original e-scooter trial deadline was November 30, 2021, but was extended three times due to popularity. The trials are now set to end on May 31, 2024, to allow the Government to reflect on further analysis or evidence that may be needed.

MOTS

New rules around pictures being taken at garages during MOTs are being implemented by the DVSA to crack down on fraud. It said: “We expect existing work to focus on helping industry test to the right standards, better enabling us to detect and deal with deliberate and fraudulent behaviours that compromise the MOT.

This will include looking to implement work piloted in 2022-23 on recording photos of vehicles at test, and building on the machine learning technology we already deploy that helps identify patterns of fraudulent behaviours in MOT garages.”

New work holiday rules

The Employment Rights (Amendment, Revocation and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2023[1] affects how holiday entitlement accrues for irregular hours and part-year workers. Significantly, these Regulations also permit the paying of rolled up holiday pay for irregular hours and part-year workers. The provisions will apply to holiday years which begin on or after 1 April 2024.

This means part-time worklers and those on things like zero-hours contract will be entitled to more holidays – matching those of full-time workers, based on the hours they work.

Flexible working

The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023[2] means employees will be permitted to make two flexible working requests in any one year and will no longer be required to set out how their request may affect their employer’s business – and can make their request as soon as they start work, from day one. From 6 April 2024, new employees will no longer have to wait six months to ask their boss for flexible working arrangements – such as different hours and working from home.

New rules on harassment

The Workers Protection (Amendments of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023[3] will come into force in October 2024 making employers responsible for protecting workers from harassment in the workplace and establishing a new offence of intentional harassment, alarm or distress on account of sex. This offence applies when someone engages in threatening, abusive or intentional behaviour in public, specifically targeting the victim due to their sex or perceived sex.

As a result, a workplace may be considered to be a public place, which could mean that employees may be criminally liable for sexual harassment at work.

New forms of family leave

The Carer’s Leave Act 2023[4] introduces a new entitlement to one week’s unpaid leave each year for employees who are providing or arranging care for a dependant. This Act is due to come into force on 6 April 2024. The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023[5] introduces statutory paid leave for eligible employed parents whose newborn baby is admitted to neonatal care.

The eligible employees will be entitled to take 12 weeks paid leave, in addition to any other relevant leave entitlements such as maternity and paternity leave.

References

1. ^ Employment Rights (Amendment, Revocation and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2023 (www.warnergoodman.co.uk)
2. ^ Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023 (www.warnergoodman.co.uk)
3. ^ Workers Protection (Amendments of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 (www.warnergoodman.co.uk)
4. ^ Carer’s Leave Act 2023 (www.warnergoodman.co.uk)
5. ^ Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Act 2023 (www.warnergoodman.co.uk)