§ Lord Brockwayasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make a statement on the proceedings of the meeting on the European Convention on Human Rights, the reforms proposed, the British attitude to them, and the conclusions reached.
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Young)The first Council of Europe Ministerial Conference on Human Rights took place in Vienna on 19th and 20th March.
My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and my honourable and learned friend the Solicitor-General represented the United Kingdom at this conference, the purpose of which was to evaluate and consolidate the work of the Council of Europe in the field of human rights. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs signed (subject to ratification) the 8th Protocol to the European Convention on Human rights, which introduces improvements in the procedures of the European Commission on Human Rights with a view to reducing delays. There was significant support for the view expressed by the Solicitor-General that a period of consolidation was required rather than radical reform of the machinery. The United Kingdom will play a full part in examining the possibility of further improvements to the convention's system of control in the appropriate Council of Europe committees. The conference also considered the challenge to human rights posed by new developments in science, particularly in biology, medicine and biochemistry. The United Kingdom contributed expert papers, including the Warnock Report on human fertilisation and embryology.