Corporate Manslaughter Bill May Fail To Become Law

The fate of a bill to allow companies to be prosecuted where gross negligence leads to the death of employees or members of the public is in the balance after the Lords voted for a fourth time to extend its scope to include deaths in custody.

The corporate manslaughter and corporate homicide bill could fall if it does not become law by 19 July.

Peers renewed their demand on deaths in custody by 179 to 142 in this week's vote, despite warnings from Lady Ashton, the leader of the Lords, that ministers would go no further than their pledge to include such deaths at some future, unspecified, date.

She said:"The government have gone as far as they can. I have done everything I said I would do. I have allowed your Lordships to discuss this with me at all times. To send the Bill back another time would achieve no more than to delay it even further, and I do not think that that is in the best interests of the many people who have waited a long time for this legislation and who are now watching with great interest to see it go on to the statute book."

Peers backed renewed calls from Lord Ramsbotham, the former chief inspector of prisons, to include deaths in police or prison custody in the legislation.

Commenting on the vote, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber urged peers to drop the deaths in custody demand.

He said: "This bill was always about deaths in the workplace and unless a compromise is found within the next few days, the bill will fail. No-one is denying that deaths in custody are an important issue, but an insistence on its inclusion will leave the UK without a significant piece of legislation on corporate manslaughter."

TUC has called on its affiliated unions to urge peers to support the Bill returns to the Lords next week.

Source: TUC Risks

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