§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonweath Affairs if he will list those treaties that have been signed by Her Majesty's Government but have not yet been ratified, giving for each treaty the date of signing.
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§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonweath Affairs if he will make a statement on the process by which treaties are ratified by Her Majesty's Government.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydBefore ratifying a treaty Her Majesty's Government must ensure that they have the necessary statutory powers to enable them to give effect to its provisions and, if not, that the necessary enabling legislation is made. The text of the treaty is then laid before Parliament for a minimum of 21 parliamentary sitting days before it is ratified in order to give Parliament the opportunity to debate its provisions.