§ Lord Windleshamasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United Kingdom intends to ratify Protocol No. 9 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and, if not, whether they will state the reasons for their reluctance to do so.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (The Earl of Caithness)The UK has no plans to ratify the 9th Protocol. The UK considers that the interests of an individual complaining about a breach of the convention are adequately taken care of by the European Commission of Human Rights. Under the present system the Commission refers cases to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of individual complainants in appropriate cases. The UK considers that the delicate balance of the supervisory organs would be upset if individuals had the right to seize the court. The implementation of this protocol would increase the already heavy workload of the convention organs.