Corporate manslaughter law slips again

The government now says the draft corporate manslaughter law will not appear until late this year.

Speaking in the House of Commons in July, minister for work Jane Kennedy MP said: "Home Office colleagues are taking forward the questions of corporate manslaughter and Crown immunity. We are working on a draft Bill, and the aim is to have that published towards the end of this year - perhaps the back end of autumn."

The government has been accused of hiding behind legal advice that ministers could be prosecuted if people died due to problems with public services such as health or transport, according to The Independent newspaper (26 July 2004).