Covid-19 Update for Private Rented Sector Tenancies
The Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 (Eviction from Dwelling-houses) (Notice Periods) Modification Regulations 2020 are expected to come into force 3 October 2020. We previously blogged about the extension of notice periods introduced by the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020. The link can be found here. The purpose of these new Regulations is to reduce the extended notice periods […]
Statutory Notice and Statutory Redundancy Payments Based on Full Pay not Furlough Pay
The Government has recently legislated to ensure that if a furloughed employee was made redundant, certain statutory payments would be calculated with reference to the employee’s normal pay and not with reference to their reduced furlough pay. The government suggested that throughout the pandemic it had urged businesses to do the right thing and calculate […]
Separation and Divorce: What Children Say
The Law in Scotland says that if anyone has to make a decision about a child involved in a separation or divorce, account must be taken of the child’s views, if the child wishes to express them. We usually think of this as a child being asked where, or with which parent, they want to […]
How Can I Get Divorced in Scotland and How Long Will It Take??
You can get divorced in Scotland if your marriage has broken down irretrievably and that can be for one of four reasons:- Adultery If your husband or wife has committed adultery you can raise a divorce action immediately. However, if you proceed on this basis the divorce writ will have to: – name the person […]
Covid-19: More Changes in the Private Rented Sector
On 26 May 2020 the Coronavirus (Scotland) (No.2) Act was given Royal Assent. In our previous blog we discussed the emergency and temporary legislative changes to residential tenancy law made by the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 in response to the coronavirus outbreak. This new Act seeks to implement further emergency measures. What does the Act do? Pre-action […]
“They Want to Take My Child Away” – Social Work Intervention and Children’s Hearings
Keeping the bond between a parent and a child intact is often treated as a given. There can however be circumstances in which the State, in the form of the Local Authority, might seek to interfere with that. Where a child could be removed from the family home, the correct legal advice is crucial. An […]
Domestic Abuse — Where Can I Get Help During Covid-19?
As we have entered into a further period of at least 3 weeks ‘lockdown’ with the continued restrictions in place requiring everyone to ‘stay at home’, it can be a frightening time for anyone who is suffering domestic abuse. If you are experiencing physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse or being intimidated or threatened by […]
Covid 19 — Contact and Shared Care Arrangements
With the current Covid 19 situation and imposed ‘lockdown’, we are experiencing uncertain and challenging times. Normal routines have been severely impacted. Children are being home schooled and are missing out on extra circular activities, and visiting friends and family. Maintaining a level of consistency is key, but it can be very daunting to try […]
Employer Support: Covid-19 Job Retention Scheme — UPDATE 16 April 2020
Following our previous update, yesterday (15 April 2020), HMRC has issued a further update to its employer and employee guidance on the Job Retention Scheme (the Scheme). We now have the following recommendations: As well as the above, the following points, which we have previously highlighted, will continue to apply:
Coronavirus and Domestic Abuse — The Risk of Isolation
With the latest Government guidance sending the message of ‘staying at home’ in a bid to fight the virus, for many the danger is not only what is outside. The Office for National Statistics reported that 1.6 million women and 786,000 men were the victims of domestic abuse in the year ending March 2019. It […]
