§ Mrs. WiseTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he proposes to ratify the United Nations international convention against the recruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe did not sign the convention and therefore do not propose to ratify it. Implementation of the convention would require primary legislation. Following the consideration of the whole question by the Diplock committee, we decided not to introduce legislation on mercenaries. We still do not consider that the need for such legislation has been established.