Dallas McMillan's Glasgow Lawyers' Blog

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The Cost of Going to Court

Holyrood’s Justice Committee has begun its scrutiny of the Civil Litigation Bill and has launched a call for evidence seeking views on the cost of going to court.

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Aberdeenshire Sees Biggest Rise in Seaside House Prices

The town of Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire has seen average house prices rise by more than any other seaside town in Scotland over the past ten years, according to new research from Bank of Scotland.

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Dementia Awareness Week Scotland - Powers of Attorney

Given that we are in the midst of Dementia Awareness Week Scotland, which runs from 29th May until the 4th of June 2017, it seems a good time to discuss Powers of Attorney and to reflect on the benefits of having a valid Power of Attorney in place.

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Share prices fall as UK insurers hit back at change in personal injury rate

UK insurers have attacked the UK Government over their changes to the Discount Rate, a move that will cost the industry millions of pounds, and will see price increases in premiums for individual and business customers. This is the first time the rate has changed since 2001, and has been calculated based on the decline in strength of low risk investment schemes such as Investment-Linked Gilks.

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Research Reveals Evolution in Housing and Mortgage Markets

New research into recent trends in the housing and mortgage lending markets has revealed that borrowing into older age is likely to be much more common over the next ten years.

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Scottish Company Fined after Worker Seriously Injured

A Scottish construction company has appeared in Dundee Sheriff Court on health and safety charges after a worker was injured in a trench collapse.

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Housing Market Confidence Stabilises

New research from Halifax has revealed that confidence in the UK housing market has stabilised following a record decline.

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Workers’ Memorial Day

Friday 28th April was Workers’ Memorial Day, which is an annual international event that provides an opportunity to reflect on the many people who are killed, seriously injured or made ill while simply doing their jobs.

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Exposure to Asbestos Continues to Put Lives at Risk

A recent BBC report highlighted the number of people who are continuing to suffer serious, and often, fatal illnesses as a result of exposure to asbestos.

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Rates - Revaluation Shock

March this year saw the issue of rates re-valuation notices for commercial premises, the first since 2010 from which new rateable values will have come into effect on 1 April 2017.  These are likely to have come as a shock to many business occupiers,   particularly those who operate licensed premises.

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Gender Pay Gap Reporting

April has been a busy month in the employment world with a few material changes emerging from it, one being, employers of larger work forces (250 or more) being obliged to provide the Government with information regarding gender pay gap.

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Scotland’s Move towards a Model Commercial Lease

Due to the success of the British Property Federation’s Model Commercial Lease (MCL) introduced in England in 2014, the Scottish Property Standardisation Group (SPSG) have recently produced a similar style lease as a drafting aid for practitioners north of the border. The SPSG’s version forms the basis of a lease for multiple occupancy buildings and includes helpful guidance notes to assist drafting.

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Update on Help to Buy (Scotland) Scheme

In a move that aims to help more families onto the housing ladder, the Scottish Government has announced that the price cap on properties eligible for the Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme will remain at £200,000 in 2018/19.

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Driver who Wins Unfair Dismissal Case Against Bus Firm, Faces Tax Bill

A Renton bus driver has won nearly £7000 in an unfair dismissal case brought against bus firm McColl’s travel, based in Dumbarton. As it has transpired, Steven Glover now faces a financial headache after the case has uncovered a tax black hole which has come around after years of incorrect salary deductions.

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First Time Buyers Look to Family for Financial Help

New research has highlighted the difficulties experienced by some first time buyers as they try to take that all-important first step on the housing ladder.

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Residential Nil Rate Band

For many years there has been much discussion around the Nil Rate Band for Inheritance Tax (IHT) purposes and the fact that it was not keeping up with the increase in wealth in the general population, which has to a great extent been fuelled by greater home ownership and increased house prices.

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Statistics Reveal Fall in Number of Personal Injury Cases

There was a fall in the number of personal injury cases initiated in the Scottish civil courts in 2015-16, according to the latest civil justice statistics from Scotland’s Chief Statistician.

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Trade Union Act 2016

The much anticipated and highly controversial Trade Union Act 2016 came fully into force on 1st March 2017. Some of the provisions of the Act were already in place. During passage through Parliament, the initial Trade Union Bill was revised following intense criticism by opposing MPs, Peers and especially the Trade Union movement. The Government made a number of concessions such as abandoning its initial plan to have a ban on check-off in the public sector. The role of the Certification Officer (a type of Regulator for Trade Unions) was also revised.

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Proximity to a Farmers Market Can Boost House Prices

New research by Zoopla has found that properties located close to a popular farmers market could be worth up to 26% more than the average home in the same county.

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Rise in New Build Home Completions

The latest Quarterly Housing Statistics from Scotland’s Chief Statistician have revealed that 16,309 new build homes were completed in the 12 months to September 2016. This is an increase of 1% on the 16,152 homes completed in the previous year.

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