HL Deb 29 October 1992 vol 539 cc105-6WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will seek the opinion of the Law Officers of the Crown and of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as to whether or not decisions of the Council of Ministers (as provided for in the Treaty of Maastricht Cmd 1934 page 84) requiring asylum-seekers to obtain entry visas before leaving a country where they fear persecution, contravene the obligations accepted by the signatories of the Geneva Convention of 1951 (as amended).

Earl Ferrers

The Government are satisfied that the provisions of the Treaty on European Union, including those which deal with common action on visas, are not in conflict with the obligations laid down in the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees and its 1967 protocol.