There are many regulations that impact our day-to-day lives without us even realising it. The majority of these rules were put into place a long time ago, but some are also more recent, and can have a say in how we spend our money, what we are and are not allowed to do, how we treat others, and how we stay safe.
Employee Rights
People in the UK who work at any kind of company are entitled to certain rights, and to be treated fairly regardless of age, sex, gender, sexuality, race, or class. This is related to the UK Human Rights Act 1998, which was based on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The main practical reason for introducing employee rights was to prevent any unwarranted dismissal, unacceptable low pay, discrimination, or overworking. Without this kind of social legislation, employees may be forced to work without breaks, for long hours, and issues like the gender pay gap would be worse than ever.
Online Gambling
Gambling is a very popular pastime among the British, and a higher percentage of the population than ever partake in the activity since it became accessible online. Because of the fact that it is a relatively new phenomenon, regulations had to be introduced to monitor and regulate it. This is where Gamstop comes in. Gamstop is a gambling self-exclusion scheme: once an individual registers, they are barred from using any gambling site or app that is licensed in the UK, for a self-imposed length of time. This regulation is not mandatory for any gamblers in the country, and is a personal choice to make. There are still many casinos that do not comply with the scheme (source: https://cryptonews.com/news/non-gamstop-casinos-uk.htm ), for those who do not need to place restrictions on themselves.
Public Services
The public sector, which includes the National Health Service, state schools, the police, and public administration groups, are all subject to regulations. This is to ensure that they continue working for the purpose of serving the public and are up to standard. Regulatory bodies like Ofsted exist to inspect public sector employees and institutions, and strategise on how to improve services. The private sector also has to comply with regulations, but arguably the public sector is under the most scrutiny.
Taxation
Everybody in the UK must pay taxes, if earning above a certain amount. These taxes go into funding public services, which could be anything from the welfare system to prisons to the NHS. The taxpayers themselves do not have a say on where this portion of their earnings goes, but tax collection is an essential regulation in order to keep the public sector alive and running.
The tax that most people in Great Britain are familiar with is income tax. Every worker in the country is entitled to keep part of their income tax-free, and after this amount will be taxed according to total earnings. Adults can make up to £12,570 and be taxed nothing for it, but between £12,570 and £50,270 will be taxed at 20%. This percentage increases alongside the amount of money made.
Health and Safety
There are multiple regulations in place regarding health and safety, such as The Management of Health and Safety at Work 1999 (also known as the ‘Management Regs’) and The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences 1995. These rules, and more, were enacted to protect both employers and employees, although most of them underline steps that employers must take. For instance, under the Management Regs, employers must educate workers on health and safety guidance and make sure they have all necessary information on the subject, as well as adhering themselves to a written H&S policy.
A major impact that health and safety regulations have had on the UK is workers’ rights. As per the Working Time Regulations 1998, the maximum working week is set at 48 hours, there must be a daily resting time of 11 hours at least, and all employees are entitled to a 20 minute break for a shift of six hours or longer.
