§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many cases of alleged interference with prisoners' correspondence are outstanding before the European Commission of Human Rights; how many of these relate to events which occurred after the revised Standing Orders came into effect; 218WA whether any further changes in the Standing Orders are contemplated, so as to reduce the likelihood of more applications being made, and what proposals they will make for settlement of all the cases, in order to prevent further waste of public money.
§ Lord EltonWe are informed by the Commission that 30 applications relating wholly or partly to the control of prisoners' correspondence in the United Kingdom are outstanding before it, the majority of which have stood adjourned pending the outcome of the case ofSilver and others v. UK before the European Court of Human Rights. None concerns events after the revised Standing Orders on correspondence came into effect in December 1981. The Government have recently invited the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which is charged with the execution of the courts's judgment in Silver, to agree that the revised version of the Standing Orders fully meets the terms of that judgment. The Government will then make proposals to the Commission for the disposal of the outstanding cases in the light of the committee's decision. The only further changes to the Standing Orders which are being considered at present are those necessary to take account of the judgment in Anderson delivered by the Divisional Court last December.