§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to ratify the Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Minorities (approved in November 1994) and when they expect that it is likely to come into force.
§ Baroness Chalker of Wallasey:The United Kingdom was among the 21 Council of Europe member states which signed the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities when it opened for signature on 1 February 1995.
The convention must be ratified by twelve states before it can come into force. None has yet done so. We intend to ratify the convention in due course.