§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Council of Europe(a) conventions, (b) charters and (c) other agreements the United Kingdom (i) has signed and responded to with a report, (ii) has signed but not yet prepared a report, (iii) has under consideration for signature and (iv) has rejected for signature since 1971. [15862]
§ Mr. MacShaneThe UK has signed and ratified 107 of the 186 Council of Europe legal instruments. The need to produce a report is exceptional and required by only four of its legal instruments: the European Social Charter, the Framework Convention for the protection of national minorities, the European Charter for regional or minority languages, and the Code of Social Security. The UK has produced reports on its application of the provisions of the first two instruments. A report on implementation of the Languages Charter is due by 1 July 2002. The UK has neither signed nor ratified the Code of Social Security.
Concerning parts (iii) and (iv) of the question, the work involved in gathering the required information on the 62 legal instruments which the UK has not signed would entail disproportionate costs.