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
This bill would place greater personal responsibility on individuals for the consequences of their own actions. It would require courts to apply a general principle of personal responsibility unless another person clearly breached a duty of care or the individual was the victim of a deliberate act. It would amend the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Law Reform (Contributory Negligence) Act 1945 to insert this principle into those laws.
The bill is at the 2nd reading in the House of Commons. If it moves forward, it would typically proceed to committee stage for detailed scrutiny, followed by report stage and further readings.
Generated 21 February 2026
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.
