The judge decided there was insufficient evidence to proceed.

Have there been any successful prosecutions?

There have only been six successful prosecutions and these have all been against small companies.

Only 10 company directors have been successfully prosecuted and only four proprietors.

What are the sentences?

The sentences open to the courts are unlimited fines and jail sentences.

In practice, most sentences are suspended and the fines have been comparatively small.

Three years has been the maximum period of imprisonment, and £25,000 the greatest fine.

Are there plans to reform the law?

In June the Home Office published a draft bill proposing a new offence of "corporate manslaughter".

This would allow most employing organisations to be prosecuted for causing a death as a result of a very serious failure on the part of a senior manager.

That would include crown bodies like government departments but not unincorporated bodies like clubs or schools.

When will the new offence be introduced?

The consultation on the draft bill was completed in August.

It will be subjected to independent parliamentary scrutiny before a joint Home Office and Department of Work and Pensions select committee - due to hear evidence in October.

After the government has considered the consultation and committee responses, it will make any amendments and present it to parliament.