§ Mr. Bob RussellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many representations he has received on the Government's non-ratification of the Optional Protocol of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; [80833]
(2) when the Government intend to ratify the Optional Protocol of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and if he will make a statement. [80832]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThere are two Optional Protocols to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced on 3 March 1999,Official Report, columns 756–57, that the United Kingdom would sign and ratify the Second Optional Protocol relating to the abolition of the death penalty. The Ambassador in New York accordingly signed the Protocol on 31 March and we shall ratify it shortly. The Home 666W Secretary also announced that the Government had concluded that the United Kingdom should not ratify the First Optional Protocol relating to the right of individual petition, but that we would look at this again once the Human Rights Act has been fully implemented.
We have received one parliamentary question from my hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox), nine parliamentary questions from the noble Lord, Lord Lester of Herne Hill and a letter from the Director of Amnesty International relating to the decisions announced on 3 March. We have received no other correspondence from the public or Members of Parliament about the announcement.