§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which body will monitor the United Kingdom's adherence to the European Convention on Human Rights. [44564]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienA person claiming to be a victim of a violation of the Convention rights may petition the European Commission of Human Rights in Strasbourg. A case may then go from the Commission to the European Court of Human Rights, whose decision is binding. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe supervises the execution of the Court's judgment.
The Human Rights Bill does not change this position, but it will additionally enable people in the United Kingdom to assert their Convention rights in domestic legal proceedings.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the incorporation into United Kingdom law of the European Convention on Human Rights on individuals' privacy. [44565]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe United Kingdom is already under an international obligation, as a party to the European Convention on Human Rights, not to violate Article 8 of the Convention which guarantees the right to respect for private and family life.
The Human Rights Bill will make it possible for this and the other Convention rights to be invoked in domestic proceedings in the United Kingdom. Decisions will be for the courts.
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