§ Lord Beaumont of Whitleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether a draft European convention on citizen rights was approved by officials on 20 March; and, if so, whether and when, in the interests of open government, they will publish it for discussion. [HL1170]
§ Baroness HaymanA draft Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters has been the subject of negotiations within the United Nations Economic Committee for Europe (UNECE). The draft convention was discussed at UNECE's Committee on Environmental Policy on 17 March and will now be considered by UNECE Environment Ministers at the "Environment for Europe" meeting in Aarhus, Denmark, in June, where Ministers will be invited to adopt and sign the convention.
In accordance with normal procedures in relation to treaties, a copy of the text of the convention, if signed by the UK, will be published as a Command Paper as soon as possible after signature, and laid before both Houses of Parliament with an Explanatory Memorandum for 21 Sitting days before any UK ratification takes place.
The convention has not yet reached the stage when treaties are formally presented to Parliament. However, copies of the draft text as it stands are being placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
We will be considering what steps may be necessary, once the text of the convention is agreed by UNECE Ministers, to publicise its existence more widely and to explain how the UK intends to implement its provisions.
During the negotiations, a coalition of non-governmental organisations, which included a delegate from an organisation based in the United Kingdom, played a significant role in the development of the convention text.