§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of his decision not to abolish the death penalty for treason and piracy on the prospects of other countries being persuaded to sign the Strasbourg Declaration. [30611]
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§ Mr. MichaelThe Government believe that the issue of capital punishment for murder and the question of the abolition of the death penalty for those offences for which it is still available (such as piracy with violence and treason) are matters for Parliament to decide on a free vote. We do not believe it is right to deny Parliament the opportunity to consider the issue in future by signing any international instrument which requires the abolition of the death penalty. We can, and do, support international calls for the abolition of the death penalty, because Parliament has consistently voted against the re-introduction of capital punishment for murder, and in the current Parliament anticipate that any motion to re-introduce it would be defeated by a substantial majority. On 11 October 1997, at the Summit of the Council of Europe, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister therefore signed the Council of Europe Declaration calling for the abolition of the death penalty.
It is a matter for individual countries to decide whether or not to sign any international declaration.