Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill

Nobody in this Chamber could be more proud than I am to wind up this debate on corporate manslaughter. I am a member of the trade union Amicus, and I was proud to be a full-time trade union officer before coming into this House 12 years ago. The idea of corporate manslaughter and of corporate killing has always been with me, given my experiences as a full-time trade union officer in the printing industry. The impact of the deaths caused by corporate manslaughter has been expressed tonight in contributions from Members in all parts of the House. I was particularly pleased to hear the contribution from my hon. Friend the Member for Lanark and Hamilton, East (Mr. Hood). He made a moving speech about the death of a constituent of his and its impact on the family. The Bill is not here by accident—it has not simply come along without a great deal of thought. As all Members have said, the issues that we have to face are clearly complex. Yes, the Bill has been a long time coming, but it is here—a Bill introduced by a Labour Government, and I am proud of that fact.