The UK government has unveiled detailed proposals on how legislation on smoke-free enclosed public places and workplaces would work. Meanwhile Elliot Morley has launched various measures designed to give communities a bigger role in tackling climate change, energy efficiency and recycling.
Manslaughter bill
UK businesses warned on June 20 that a new law to prosecute companies and organisations whose gross failure at senior level result in a fatality (CCB issue 81 p.17) risked “creating scapegoats”. Responding on June 20 to the draft manslaughter bill, as announced in the Queen’s Speech on May 17, manufacturers’ association the EEF said that while it supported the principle of a new offence for those businesses which show a “wanton disregard for the safety of employees,” its members have serious reservations about how it would work. “We had been concerned that making individual managers personally liable for the offence of corporate killing would lead to the scapegoating of those individuals and the abrogation of responsibility for health and safety matters by others in the undertaking, leading to lower rather than higher safety standards,” the EEF said in a statement. The lobbying group the Confederation of British Industry said companies already faced unlimited fines under existing health and safety laws for killing employees or members of the public. Contact EEF 020 222 7777 ( http://www.eef.org.uk); CBI 020 7379 7400 ( http://www.cbi.org.uk)
Smoking bill
The UK government unveiled on June 20 detailed proposals on how legislation on smoke-free enclosed public places and workplaces would work in practice. Caroline Flint, Public Health Minister, announcing the Choosing Health consultation, said that the proposals built on what was set out in last year’s public health white paper. Flint said the government had found that Britons favoured a ban. “But they also felt there should be some consideration of the fact that cigarettes are not illegal, and there should be some element of free choice.”
The publication of the proposals followed speculation that the government would opt for an outright ban on smoking in all public places, including pubs and bars, a measure strongly supported by the anti-smoking and health lobby. But the proposals in fact limit the ban to pubs and bars that serve food and workplaces, restaurants and outdoor venues, such as sports grounds, bus stops and building entrances. Locations exempt would include hospices, care homes, psychiatric hospitals and prisons, as well as hotel rooms, hostels and the 20% of British bars that do not serve food. The period of consultation is scheduled to end on September 5 and if the bill is enacted by the end of 2007 all enclosed public places and workplaces other than licensed premises will be smoke free. By the end of 2008, arrangements for licensed premises will be in place. Contact Department of Health 020 7210 4850 ( http://www.dh.gov.uk)
Community action
Elliot Morley, minister for environment and climate, launched on June 28 a series of measures designed to give communities a bigger role in tackling such issues as climate change, energy efficiency and recycling. Together we can secure the future, launched with a number of community and environmental NGOs, such as the WWF and Volunteering England, also includes a new website gateway (click through on ( http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk), giving community groups practical ideas and information. As part of the Year of the Volunteer, the website includes a searchable database of volunteering opportunities and some real life stories from ‘local heroes’ who are already giving up some of their time to “think globally and act locally”.
The strategy includes five tips on how a community group can make a difference:
– be a carbon-free community to help beat climate change
The UN Human Rights Commission approved a plan on April 20 to scrutinise trans-national companies to make them more accountable on human rights. The resolution means a special representative would for the first time be charged with outlining global standards for corporate responsibility and accountability with regard to human rights. The US was one of three countries to oppose the plan, charging that an anti-business agenda held back economic and social advancement of developing nations. South Africa and Australia also opposed the measure, while 49 nations voted for it. The representative will be appointed for two years and will report back to the commission at its next two annual sessions. Contact UN Commission on Human Rights 00 41 22 917 9011 ( http://www.ohchr.org)
NEW MAN AT THE MINISTRY
Malcolm Wicks became Labour’s fifth corporate social responsibility minister following the election in May. Formerly Minister of State for Pension, Wicks’ primary post at the Department of Trade and Industry is Minister of State for Energy. He replaces Nigel Griffiths, who was promoted to Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. Meanwhile, Alun Michael, Minister of State for Industry and the Regions at the DTI takes on social enterprise and small business, originally under Griffiths’ portfolio. Unlike his predecessors, the new CSR minister will also look after sustainability and the environment, suggesting the government might be aiming for a more integrated approach to CSR. Wicks also takes responsibility for energy, nuclear security and export control. Contact DTI 020 7215 5000 ( http://www.dti.gov.uk)
Editorial Comment
Mr Wicks’ appointment means Labour now has its fifth ‘CSR minister’ in just over four years. Sticking with tradition, incumbent Nigel Griffiths was promoted, leaving the impression that, well, CSR may not be a priority in the greater scheme of things.
This time CSR comes under the same brief as energy, sustainability and the environment, fuel poverty, nuclear security and export control (phew!), rather than social enterprise and small business policy, as it did when Griffiths was in charge. This is disappointing, since we think the government stands a better chance helping smaller business make the link between responsibility issues and performance than adding value to the CSR agenda of larger companies (as guest editor David Grayson argued in CCB 81). The message this time round appears to be ‘macro CSR’, rather than ‘micro CSR’.
There was even talk that CSR would in fact be ditched as a separate ministerial portfolio, something, which even some proponents of CSR argued would have been no bad thing. After all if CSR is becoming as integrated into mainstream business practices as people say it is there is no reason why the policy framework should not reflect this. The evidence suggests that this may not have been too far away from current government thinking, although a DTI spokesperson strenuously denied this. CSR continues to be important to the government, although admittedly it did take some time to iron out the responsibilities following the reshuffle (CSR was in fact missing from the DTI website for the week following the election). In fact, CSR “sits very comfortably with sustainability”, the DTI spokesperson confirms to Briefing.
This all reflects what guest editor John Elkington (p.4) predicts is likely to happen in the private sector; specifically the downsizing or total disbandment of many CSR departments as their activities become fully integrated. It will certainly be interesting to see how things fan out on the official CSR agenda throughout the next governmental term, although we predict little major change (except perhaps another couple of CSR ministers).
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