§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the reasons for the delay in setting up a Select Committee on Human Rights as envisaged in the White Paper, Rights Brought Home; The Human Rights Bill (Cm 3782, October 1997).[HL443]
§ The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Jay of Paddington)The timing for the Joint Committee's establishment is related to the date of implementation for the Human Rights Act. We announced on 18 May 1999 that the Human Rights Act will be implemented on 2 October 2000, somewhat later than had been thought, so as to allow time for judicial training and departmental preparations. The Government consider that the Joint Committee should be operational in advance of the Act coming into full effect. We hope to make an announcement about that shortly.