§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Answer given by Baroness Blatch on 15th July 1996 (WA 42), what they consider to be the reason that 24 allegations of violations of the European Convention on Human Rights were declared admissible by the European Commission on Human Rights against the United Kingdom during a period in which only three allegations of violation were declared admissible against the German Government; and whether they consider that comparisons of this kind are significant.
§ Baroness BlatchThere are many reasons for the difference in numbers of applications declared admissible by the Commission in respect of any State Party to the Convention, including the number of applications received by the Commission from within the state concerned. As regards the significance of such comparisons, I would refer the noble Lord to my statement on 3rd July (H.L. Deb., cols. 1567–68): the wider range of figures cited there makes clear that incorporation of the Convention by a State Party has no demonstrable effect upon the number of applications declared admissible by the European Commission on Human Rights.