18th June 2007:
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill 2006-07 is still being passed from House to House as a debate continues as to whether the new offence will cover death in custody.
The Liberal Democrat MP Edward Davey, like the Lords, feels that a proposed government concession to allow such deaths to be covered in the future does not do enough. He argued that “we should put measures on deaths in custody on the same footing as all the other measures in the Bill”.
Both houses must agree on the proposed amendment for the Bill to be passed. If an agreement is not reached by the 21st of July the Bill may have to be scrapped.
23rd May 2007:
Peers have refused to back down over their decision to toughen the Corporate Manslaughter Bill.
The Lords decided to stand by their demand that corporate manslaughter should apply to deaths in custody, even though MPs have overturned their amendments in the past.
The Justice Minister, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, had asked the Lords to accept a compromise whereby the Secretary of State would be given power to amend the Bill at any time in the future, allowing custodial deaths to be covered.