§ Mr. Stratton Millsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the application by the Republic of Ireland Government, relating to the United Kingdom, to the European Court of Human Rights.
§ Mr. AmeryThe Government of the Irish Republic have brought two applications against Her Majesty's Government before the European Commission of484W Human Rights alleging certain breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights in respect of Northern Ireland. The Commission held hearings on the admissibility of the applications at Strasbourg from 25th to 29th September.
At the hearings the Government of the Irish Republic withdrew the application under Article 7 of the convention relating to the alleged retroactive effect of the Northern Ireland Act, 1972, and the Commission rejected as inadmissible that part of the other application which related under Article 2 of the convention to allegations of deprivation of the right of life.
The Commission will now embark upon an examination of the merits of the remaining allegations. As the Commission pointed out in its Press communiqué of 1st October, its decision on admissibility involves no prejudgment of these issues. Her Majesty's Government will continue to contest the allegations vigorously.