When it emerged that Alistair Darling was planning to announce a tax on bankers' bonuses in the pre-budget report, some figures in the City seemed to think that their human rights were about to be infringed.

Bill Dodwell, the head of taxation at the accountants Deloitte, revealed that he had taken calls from bankers wanting to know if they could use the Human Rights Act to protect their cash.

The prospect of legal action always seemed slightly far-fetched, but the joint committee on human rights - a committee of MPs and peers - took the issue sufficiently seriously to launch a mini-inquiry. And, in a report published today, it concludes that the bankers are not having their human rights abused.