§ Mr. PicklesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what decisions the Government have taken about the United Kingdom's adherence to the European convention on human rights. [6004]
§ Sir Nicholas BonsorWe have decided to renew for five years our acceptance of the two optional articles of the European convention on human rights which expires for the United Kingdom on 13 January 1996. Individuals will therefore continue to be able to bring cases under article 25—the right of individual petition—and the Government will continue to accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights under Article 46. The United Kingdom first accepted these articles in 1966. They have both been renewed for consecutive periods of five years for the last 20 years.
As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister informed the House on 7 December, Official Report, column 488, the Government were not satisfied with some of the rulings made under the convention by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. We will initiate discussions with other members of the Council of Europe, and representatives of its institutions, to change and improve the way in which the convention system works. We are developing specific proposals to achieve this, which we believe will be widely welcomed.