<P> A draft Bribery Bill was announced in the 2002 Queen's Speech, but was rejected by the joint committee examining it . A second consultation paper was issued in 2005 examining the committee's concerns, before the government announced in March that "there was broad support for reform of the current law, but there was no consensus as to how this could be achieved". Following a white paper in March 2009, the Bribery Bill, based on the Law Commission's 2008 report Reforming Bribery, was announced in the Queen's Speech . Initially given all - party support after its introduction by Jack Straw in 2009, the Bill was, according to The Guardian, subject to an attempted filibuster by Members of Parliament from the Conservative Party . This followed pressure from the Confederation of British Industry, who worried that the Bill in its original form would hamper the competitiveness of British industry . </P> <P> The Bill was given Royal Assent on 8 April 2010, becoming the Bribery Act 2010, and was expected to come into force immediately . The government instead chose to hold several rounds of public consultations before announcing that it would come into force in April 2011 . Following the publication of guidance by the Ministry of Justice, the act came into effect on 1 July 2011 . The Ministry of Justice also released a Quick Start Guide, which highlights some key points of the Act . The Quick Start Guide also suggests companies to consult relevant bodies for advice, including the UK Trade and Investment, and the government sponsored Business Anti-Corruption Portal . In October 2011 Munir Patel, a clerk at Redbridge Magistrates Court, became the first person to be convicted under the Bribery Act, along with misconduct in a public office . </P> <P> Sections 1 to 5 of the Act cover "general bribery offences". The crime of bribery is described in Section 1 as occurring when a person offers, gives or promises to give a "financial or other advantage" to another individual in exchange for "improperly" performing a "relevant function or activity". Section 2 covers the offence of being bribed, which is defined as requesting, accepting or agreeing to accept such an advantage, in exchange for improperly performing such a function or activity . "Financial or other advantage" is not defined in the Act, but, according to Aisha Anwar and Gavin Deeprose in the Scots Law Times, "could potentially encompass items such as contracts, non-monetary gifts and offers of employment". The "relevant function or activity" element is explained in Section 3--it covers "any function of a public nature; any activity connected with a business, trade or profession; any activity performed in the course of a person's employment; or any activity performed by or on behalf of a body of persons whether corporate or unincorporated". This applies to both private and public industry, and encompasses activities performed outside the UK, even activities with no link to the country . The conditions attached are that the person performing the function could be expected to be performing it in good faith or with impartiality, or that an element of trust attaches to that person's role . </P> <P> Under Section 4, the activity will be considered to be "improperly" performed when the expectation of good faith or impartiality has been breached, or when the function has been performed in a way not expected of a person in a position of trust . Section 5 provides that the standard in deciding what would be expected is what a reasonable person in the UK might expect of a person in such a position . Where the breach has occurred in a jurisdiction outside the UK, local practises or customs should be disregarded when deciding this, unless they form part of the "written law" of the jurisdiction; "written law" is given to mean any constitution, statute or judicial opinion set down in writing . The general offences also cover situations where the mere acceptance of such an advantage would constitute improperly performing relevant functions or activities . </P>

Does the bribery act only cover monetary payments