HL Deb 17 January 1989 vol 503 cc227-8WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to protect the interests and human rights of refugees and asylum-seekers in the European preparations for 1992; and what definitions of "persecution" and "genuine fears concerning life and liberty" they seek to have agreed, in the light of our obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees (1951).

Earl Ferrers

Discussions on a wide range of issues relating to asylum are continuing in the EC Ad Hoc Working Group on Immigration established during the United Kingdom Presidency. These include the question of which state should be responsible for examining asylum applications.

All member states of the Community are signatories to the 1951 United Nations Convention on Refugees, and discussions in the Community are based on the assumption that we shall continue to carry out in full our individual obligations under the Convention. Discussions have not sought separately to define the terms quoted in the Question.