Lords Bribery Act Committee to question anti-corruption experts
The House of Lords Bribery Act 2010 Committee will question Kathryn Higgs, Director of Business Integrity, Transparency International UK, and Susan Hawley, Policy Director, Corruption Watch, on Tuesday 17 July, as part of its post-legislative scrutiny inquiry on the Bribery Act 2010.
The inquiry is tasked with examining: the effectiveness of the Bribery Act 2010; whether there has been stricter prosecution of corrupt conduct, a higher conviction rate, and a reduction of such conduct; the impact of the Act on SMEs; and Deferred Prosecution Agreements in relation to bribery.
Giving evidence to the Committee at 10.30am, Kathryn Higgs and Susan Hawley will be asked questions, which are likely to include:
- How prevalent is bribery across the UK?
- Should the UK consider specific allowances for ‘facilitation payments', such as in the United States?
- Why is the number of criminal proceedings under the Bribery Act 2010 consistently so low, and what does this signify?
- How does the Bribery Act compare with equivalent legislation in other countries?
- Have UK companies developed effective anti-bribery policies as a result of the Bribery Act?
- Are the police, Crown Prosecution Service and the Serious Fraud Office adequately resourced to ensure the effective investigation and prosecution of bribery offences?
- How insulated are these agencies and their investigations from political interference?
The evidence session will start at 10.30am in Committee Room 4.
