§ Mr. Mathewasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs why Her Majesty's Government have not yet ratified the Convention on Civil Procedure.
§ Mr. R. AllanI assume that the Convention to which my hon. Friend refers is The Hague Multilateral Civil Procedure Convention signed on the 1st of March, 1954. Her Majesty's Government are not a party to this Convention because they hold the view that participation would give rise to certain practical difficulties without offering any practical advantages. Furthermore, Her Majesty's Government have bilateral conventions with all but two of the signatories and these conventions are working satisfactorily.