While the law changes on a daily basis, its evolution generally goes unnoticed by the majority of the public. It is therefore not often that changes to the law have a radical and far-reaching impact as those arising from the new Bribery Act 2010 and Equality Act 2010. These two Acts impact all UK businesses and the oil and gas industry should take note of both important new laws.
In April 2010, parliament passed a new UK Bribery Act which is expected to come into effect in autumn this year. This legislation creates a more effective legal framework for combating bribery, replacing a number of fragmented and complex offences, many of which had been in place for more than 100 years.
