Crown immunity



Crown bodies are organisations that act on behalf of the Queen, for example, prisons, government departments, the police and the Royal Mint. Under the HSWA, Crown bodies must comply with health and safety law. However, the provisions of the Act that allow inspectors to prosecute employers for breaches of the law do not apply to Crown bodies. This is known as Crown immunity.



The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 largely removed Crown immunity for corporate manslaughter. However, Crown immunity remains for health and safety offences. Unions whose members work for Crown bodies want the government to abolish Crown immunity completely.