Quick Links -> Company Annual Reports Coroners Corporate Killing Criminal offences Crown Bodies Company Directors Deaths (recent) Government Department (DWP) Health and Safety Commission Health and Safety Executive HSC's Enforcement Policy Statement Health and Safety offences HSE Information Policy HSE's Ombudsman Reports HSE Report - "Safety Last?" Inquests Local Authorities MAIB Making Complaints Manslaughter Cases Manslaughter Investigations Manslaughter Law Maritime and Coastguard Agency Newsletter NewsLink Ombudsman Parliamentary Debates Protocol of Liaison on Work Related Deaths 'Revitalising Health and Safety' Select Committee on the work of the HSE Sentencing Whats New HSE Review into HSE's Conduct of Prosecutions, 2000 • Back to Index on Prosecution Review 2000 • Back to main index on HSE Prosecutions Background HSE set up the review as a result of concerns that: "its current system of prosecutions was not fully meeting the needs of the organisation, for example: • Increasing challenges and scrutiny of enforcement action generally, at Ministerial, pressure group and the wider public level; • A recognition that it was increasingly unrealistic as the criminal law becomes more complex, to require inspectors to conduct not guilty trials (last year inspectors in the FOD were advised that defended cases should not normally be taken by inspectors); • Evidence that current systems do not ensure that up to date legal guidance is available to all inspectors; • Uncertainties as to which cases should be referred to Solicitor’s office; • Fully Closed (Exemption 2 & 4(d)); • An increasing pressure on HSE from our Minister, pressure groups such as the Centre for Corporate Accountability, and the public generally to bring more prosecutions with harder hitting outcomes; At the same time, the wider criminal justice environment is going through a period of rapid change and these external drivers for change also prompted a reappraisal of HSE prosecutions systems, for example: • An increasing use of judicial review as a means of challenging a decision not to prosecute; • The impact of the Human Rights Act; • Increasing expectations that the views of victims and their families should be taken into account in prosecutions; • Proposals to reform the law of corporate manslaughter which may impact on the role of HSE in such prosecutions."
	Home -> About the CCA
Page last updated on April 8, 2004