The implementation of the UK Bribery Act has been delayed, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has confirmed today (31 January).

The Act was scheduled to be implemented in April this year, but will now be pushed back until guidance has been published and distributed to businesses to allow them to prepare and adapt for the new regime.

The Act will now come into effect three months after the guidance has been published, although the MoJ has not yet committed to a precise date.

An MoJ spokesperson said: "We are working on the guidance to make it practical and comprehensive for business. We will come forward with further details in due course. When the guidance is published it will be followed by a three-month notice period before implementation of the Act."‬‪

The new delay comes after the Government announced in July last year that it was postponing the implementation of the Act until April 2011 in order to give companies a chance to put proper procedures in place.

In September last year the MoJ launched a two-month consultation, with all parties set to be affected by the Act encouraged to give feedback. The consultation came in the wake of concerns that the Act had been rushed through parliament during the last days of the former Labour Government.

Changes set to be ushered in by the Act include making companies liable for operations carried out by a third party on their behalf, as well as creating new general offences of bribing and receiving bribes linked to 'improper performance'.