Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008

Tuesday 11th December 2007 at 11:11

The Health and Safety (Offences) Bill had its first reading in the Commons on December 5 2007. It was subsequently read for a second time on February 1 2008.

The Bill was introduced as a private member’s Bill by Keith Hill (Lab, Streatham). The government has previously tried to get the bill through in various forms on five occasions during five parliamentary sessions.

The Bill seeks to revise the mode of trial and maximum penalties applicable to certain offences relating to health and safety. The first of the three schedules included in the Bill is the most important, and will become the new schedule 3A to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Schedules 2 and 3 in turn deal with “consequential amendments” and “repeals”.

Schedule 1 sets out three changes to the present arrangements: it raises the maximum fine that may be imposed in the lower courts to £20,000 for most offences; it makes imprisonment an option for most offences in both the lower and the higher courts; and it would increase powers to make certain offences triable in both the lower and higher courts.

The changes made by the Bill were first proposed following a joint review of the current maximum penalties for health and safety offences, which was carried out between February and September 1999 by the Home Office, the then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and the Health and Safety Executive.

House of Commons

First reading: December 5 2007 [HC Bill 29]

Second reading: February 1 2008

Health And Safety (Offences) Bill Committee