Corporate manslaughter bill "offers nothing different"

News Article - 09 June 2009
Category: Business

The effectiveness of the recently published corporate manslaughter bill has been questioned by one of the UK's major accounting associations.

Writing in the Yorkshire Post, Jonathan Beckerlegge from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants said that if passed into law, the bill would only cause greater insurance costs without greater accountability.

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill would make it a new criminal offence if companies cause a person's death by the way their affairs are managed or organised.

"Of course, all incidents which cause death or serious injury are very much to be regretted," he said.

"But existing law already empowers the Health and Safety Executive to impose heavy fines on companies and bodies who are found to be in serious breach of their obligations under health and safety rules - the new bill offers nothing different by way of sanction.

"In the circumstances therefore, it is hard to see what difference this new bill will make to the punishment of those who fail to pay appropriate attention to people's health and safety."

Mr Beckerlegge claimed that the new bill would have an impact for small and large businesses in terms of insurance costs, however.

"Businesses have seen a significant hike in insurance premiums over the last few years, and it is predictable that insurance premiums will rise again for them if this Bill becomes law," he added.

The bill will be discussed when parliament resumes in October.

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