§ Q13. Mr. Hawksleyasked the Prime Minister if. following the recent judgments under the European Convention on Human Rights, the United Kingdom will withdraw from the Council of Europe.
§ The Prime MinisterNo. The Government believe that human rights should be protected. We therefore renewed last year for a further five years the right of individuals to petition the European Commission of Human Rights. Certain recent findings that the United Kingdom has been in breach of particular provisions of the convention do not in the Government's opinion justify either denunciation of the convention or withdrawal from membership of the Council of Europe.