This year's CIEH annual conference, held at the Belfast Waterfront Hall, seems to have slipped into the mists of time already, so EHJ's traditional post-conference picture round-up might serve to jog the memories of those members that were able to attend.

Widely accepted to have been a huge success, we concentrate on the parallel new professionals conference and look at two quite different presentations from the new generation of environmental health practitioners. Rhys Horan, from Ipswich Borough Council kept delegates entertained with his account of dealing with unlicensed sex shops, while Kim Walker of Harrogate borough Council followed on with a talk on the adverse health impact of motorcycle vibration!

One of the most stimulating sessions came in the form of an open debate on the future of the profession, chaired by CIEH ex-chairman Stephen Young, which attempted to push the boundaries by getting delegates to think about the profession in terms of the 2012 vision statement.

As Andrew Walsh and Andrea Smith say: "Belfast 2003 is the third new professionals conference that we have attended. Each year we find the conference thoroughly interesting and enjoyable and leave with refreshed enthusiasm and the determination to succeed and make a difference. We have been reassured that EHPs are flexible and adaptable professionals able to work effectively in either the public or private sector... tomorrow's EHPs will be able to work within numerous and diverse partnerships towards achieving what they do best - improving public health. The only way the profession can change is from within. The new professionals conference demonstrates that this is possible and strikes while the iron is hot. The future is certainly bright for us."

The CIEH is already looking ahead to the next event and in his monthly column, Graham Jukes reveals the theme of conference 2004, which will be held in Torquay. On a different note, and in response to the wishes of a number of readers, Julie Barratt looks at the legal issues surrounding the proposed addition of the offence of "corporate manslaughter" to the statute book. She asks: Is such an offence needed? What are the arguments against creating such an offence? What sentence would be appropriate? And what are the alternatives? Find out more in this article.

Then, we hand over to Derek Allen, the executive director of Lacors, who outlines the organisation's extended policy remit and new strategy. He answers some of the tricky questions that I put to him by e-mail, and asks you to start looking to Lacors for advice, guidance and good practice in providing effective, properly resourced, good quality regulatory services. Finally, Viv Mason tackles the important issue of health impact assessment in housing strategies. She argues for a long-term holistic approach to housing strategies and uses two case studies to illustrate her point. I hope you enjoy reading this month's issue...

Tracey Khanna
Editor