§ Lord Beaumont of Whitleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, following the recommendation of the Constitutional Commissioners of the British Virgin Islands that those Dependent Territories should have a Bill of Rights included in their constitution, they will take steps to see that all Dependent Territories (and in particular St Helena) have a Bill of Rights.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey)It is our policy to improve protection of the fundamental rights of the individual in our Dependent Territories by including suitable provisions in the constitution or other laws of our Dependent Territories, where this appears necessary. This was one of the objectives of the recently published report by the Constitutional Commissioners on the British Virgin Islands. The Legislative Council of St Helena have recently requested a review of their constitution which will, among other things, look at provisions of this nature.