§ Lord Windleshamasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Bill now before Parliament conforms with the articles of the European Convention on Human Rights and the judgments of the European Court on Human Rights.
§ The Paymaster General and Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Belstead)The European Court on Human Rights in its recent judgment inFox, Campbell and Hartley (30th August 1990) reiterated that the function of the court is not to review domestic legislation in the abstract but to examine its application in the particular circumstances of any given case. I am satisfied that the provisions of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Bill can be operated in a way which conforms with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.