A Bill to place upon the individual a greater responsibility for the consequences for him of his own actions and of any failure on his part to use common sense; and for connected purposes.
The Bill would: require all courts to follow the principle that individuals are responsible for the consequences of their actions unless there has been a clear breach of the duty of care owed by another person, or the individual has been the victim of a deliberate act by another personamend the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945 by inserting that principle.
House of Commons
29 October 2009
May contain errors — check source documents for definitive information.
The bill aims to place more responsibility on individuals for the consequences of their own actions, including not using common sense. It would require courts to apply a default rule that people are responsible for the outcomes of their actions unless another person owed them a duty of care and breached it, or they were the victim of a deliberate act by another person, and it would insert this principle into the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945.
The bill is at the 2nd reading stage in the House of Commons. No further progress is recorded here.
Generated 21 February 2026
15 Jul 2009
This Bill was on the Order Paper for a Second Reading on several Fridays before being dropped by its sponsor, Norman Baker.
No recorded votes for this bill yet.
