§ Lord Strabolgiasked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures are being put in place to ensure that the United Kingdom complies with the provisions in the Europol Convention related to breaches of discretion or confidentiality following entry into force on 1 October 1998. [HL3251]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn)Article 32(4) of the Europol Convention requires that, prior to the entry into force of the Convention, each member state shall introduce the provisions required under national law to proceed against breaches of discretion or confidentiality. To this end, we are certifying the Europol Convention as an agreement to which an international organisation is a party, under section 12(2)(b) of the Official Secrets Act 1989. This will have the effect of ensuring that members and employees of Europol will be treated as "government contactors" for the purposes of the Official Secrets Act, and will ensure that the United Kingdom will comply fully with the relevant provisions in the Convention.