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The Health and Safety (Offences) Bill which has government backing and was put forward by Streatham Labour MP Keith Hill has received unopposed support by MPs and has been sent to the House of Lords for final scrutiny. It's hoped that the Bill will be returned quickly for enactment and become law later this year.
Under the Bill, the maximum fine in magistrates' courts will be raised from £5,000 to £20,000 for most offences and for the first time 'imprisonment' will be made an option for most health and safety offences in lower and higher courts. Unlimited fines and jail sentences will be available for cases that come before the Crown court.
MP Keith Hill said "The aim was to 'punish the criminally negligent who put life and limb in danger in the workplace, and to deter those who are tempted to cut costs by breaking the law."
Junior work and pensions minister Anne McGuire welcomed the Bill, saying "It was important that penalties 'fully reflected the seriousness of offences' and deterred irresponsible behaviour."
CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer Dave Joyce, commented: "The objective behind the changes is that sentences for health and safety offences become sufficient to deter those tempted to break health and safety laws, and sufficient to deal appropriately with those who do commit regulatory offences. We certainly hope this bill will become law soon and in combination with the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act will at long last provide a framework of penalties that fit the crime and give the UK a Safety boost. We have urged government to ensure that sufficient parliamentary time is provided to progress this bill to a conclusion so that it becomes Law as similar Bills had fallen due to a lack of time to complete the passage through parliament".
Source: CWU
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