Business leaders could face prison terms as well as compensation claims under new rules covering manslaughter to be announced by the Home Office.

Forum Response: British Retail Consortium

Bill Moyes, director general of the British Retail Consortium, told ePolitix.com: "Retailers take seriously their responsibility to ensure the safety of their staff and their customers.

"The need to respond to public concern in the wake of a series of tragic incidents, should also be balanced by the need to provide companies with a clear and fair regulatory framework in which to operate.

"The Criminal Justice Bill has the wrong implications and is not the appropriate legislation to address this important issue. We believe that any new bill should allow fair and equal access to a right of defence.

"The Home Office has refused to include a defence through due diligence in its proposal.

"We would prefer to see greater emphasis on the raft of existing health and safety legislation with stronger enforcement, such as unlimited fines, to ensure total compliance."

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

A spokesman for the IoD told ePolitix.com: "We acknowledge that the current state of the law on corporate manslaughter is unsatisfactory.

"Public confidence in parts of the business community has been damaged as a result of some tragic and heavily publicised accidents. We welcome the government's proposals.

"We hope that any confusion between prosecuting a company when there is no one individual responsible or liable for the breach of health and safety regulations and prosecuting individuals for alleged offences can be avoided."