Tughans Solicitors

The Chancellor’s Summer Statement July 2020

When it was initially announced that a “mini-budget” would take place in July, there was understandable speculation that it would be used as a an opportunity for the Chancellor to raise some much needed revenue to reduce the deficit caused by the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and other emergency measures which have been introduced... Read More

Code of Practice for Commercial Property Relationships during the Covid-19 Pandemic

A new Code of Practice for commercial property relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic was published by the Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government, Simon Clarke MP, on 19 June 2020.  It can be read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-for-the-commercial-property-sector/code-of-practice-for-commercial-property-relationships-during-the-covid-19-pandemic   Helpfully, this Code of Practice is expressly stated to apply to Northern Ireland too.  Unhelpfully, it is... Read More

Details released on flexible furlough scheme

On Saturday 13 June, the Government updated the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme with much anticipated details on how “flexible furlough” will operate and further clarification on how the Scheme will wind down. The key details are below.   Scheme updates The Scheme is closed to new entrants, with limited exception. From 1 July, it will... Read More

WEBINAR: Planning a Return to the Workplace

On Thursday 11 June, Tughans continued with the successful series of webinars in partnership with IoD NI, this time focusing on considerations for employers who are planning a return to the workplace. Participants heard from industry experts on how NI businesses have pivoted to react to the COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges they have faced and how... Read More

Reopening the Land Registry of Northern Ireland

As the Land Registry begins to resume some of its functionality, Gavin Robinson (Associate Solicitor) keeps us up to date on how it proposes to deal with applications, going forward from 8 June 2020 (the “Reopening Date”):   any priority note currently registered with an expiry date falling between 25 March 2020 and the Reopening... Read More

Government announces plan to wind down the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

On Friday evening the Chancellor announced further details on how the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will wind-down before closing at the end of October. The key points are as follows.   The Scheme will close to new entrants on 30 June 2020, and claims can only be made for employees who have been furloughed for... Read More

Returning to the Workplace: Health & Safety Guidance for Employers

It is currently anticipated that we will see some of the restrictions on businesses being relaxed over the coming months with employees returning to the workplace where possible. The UK Government has already confirmed that those working in the construction and manufacturing industries in England and Wales can return to work if the required health... Read More

WEBINAR: Legislative Changes that will Impact your Cash Flow

On Tuesday 18 May, Tughans teamed up with Digital DNA to deliver a webinar providing an overview of some key support measures and strategies available to help NI businesses manage cash flow during the coronavirus lock down. It is based on an original Tughans article, which you can access here. The webinar was hosted by DDNA... Read More

WEBINAR: The Impact of Coronavirus on Manufacturing

This webinar first aired on Friday 24 April 2020, hosted by Kirsty McManus (NI Director, IoD) and features Tej Parikh (IoD Chief Economist), Stephen Kelly (CEO, Manufacturing NI), Anna Beggan (Employment Partner, Tughans), James Donnelly (Corporate Partner, Tughans) and Andrew Kirke (Contracts & IT Director, Tughans). PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PRESENTATION WITH Q&A LASTS 60... Read More

Update on the Future Fund

The UK Government has now provided some further detail around the Future Fund which opens for applications from Wednesday 20th May. Rather than reiterate some of the basic eligibility criteria as outlined in my previous article (available here) I thought it would be useful to provide a quick summary of the key updates.   Application... Read More