§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
For what period of time they have been considering whether to accept the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and whether they expect to announce their decision before the end of 1998. [HL159]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn)The Government announced on 3 July 1997 that they would review the United Kingdom's obligations under various human rights treaties. This includes whether to ratify the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. I expect the review to be completed by the end of 1998. We will announce our decision as soon as possible thereafter.