Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill

I am grateful for the contributions of all Members from all parts of the House. My hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Central (Tony Lloyd) and the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey) are right that when we address an issue and have heated exchanges on it that bring clarity to what we are trying to achieve, that shows the House in its true light. I have felt throughout our deliberations that the spirit of what we were all trying to achieve was to make improvements and to meet the sense of injustice that occurs when people suffer the death of a loved one in circumstances such as those we have discussed. In meeting many such families—I know that other Members have also done that—what struck me was the feeling of injustice. What came across was that there was a feeling that nobody cared sufficiently and that nobody was held responsible, particularly where there was negligence. In addition to strengthening the Bill in the ways that Members have suggested and taking away and considering issues raised, I am serious about us looking at what can be done in practical terms in respect of the views of the Crown Prosecution Service and the police. How should they deal with the families of the victims? The events that we have been discussing should be seen in the same light as any other serious crime. Our debates will send a clear message to organisations and bodies that it is not acceptable for people to be killed at work when the circumstances that caused that can be prevented. Members have said that we have left many areas untouched due to the time scale that was in place. We might have to look again at how much time we allow for such debates. There were many important issues that we did not reach that would have benefited from contributions from Members in all parts of the House. I hope that Members appreciated what we were trying to achieve and the spirit in which we were trying to achieve it, having listened to the representations that had been made. I want to finish by thanking the officials who worked hard on the Bill, and all the Members who contributed the debate. I believe that we have taken the Bill forward, and I shall listen with great interest to the discussions in the other place. I look forward to the Bill’s returning to this place, when we can complete the job that needs to be done. The message that we are sending out very clearly is that corporate manslaughter is not acceptable. Question put and agreed to. Bill accordingly read the Third time, and passed.