§ 56. Mr. BercowTo ask the President of the Council if he will make a statement of the role of the Privy Council in relation to the use of the death penalty in a number of overseas territories. [81521]
§ Mr. BradshawThe Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the court of final appeal for 16 independent Commonwealth countries. When hearing appeals the Judicial Committee applies the law of the country from which the appeal comes. Most of the countries concerned retain the death penalty for certain offences and some cases that come before the Judicial Committee are appeals against conviction and/or sentence in capital cases. Over the years the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has played an important part in developing constitutional safeguards in relation to the imposition and execution of the death penalty in these countries and in helping to uphold the integrity of the criminal process.