§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's Government will ratify the sixth protocol of the European human rights convention committing the United Kingdom to abolishing the death penalty for peacetime offences.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe United Kingdom abolished the death penalty for most offences in 1965. Since the question of capital punishment is debated by the House at not infrequent intervals, we have taken the view that it would not be appropriate to sign and ratify the sixth protocol on the basis of any one particular vote of the House on the issue.