§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they support the creation of a Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner; and, if so, whether they support the creation of such a Commissioner by the Council's 50th Anniversary on 5 May 1999. [HL990]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)The Government supported the Action Plan adopted at the Second Summit of the Council of Europe in October 1997, which welcomed the proposal to establish a Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. We are satisfied that the draft terms of reference recently put to the Parliamentary Assembly would allow the commissioner to play a valuable part in raising awareness and encouraging full observance of human rights in Council of Europe member states. On the assumption that final agreement on the terms of reference can shortly be reached, we would welcome the formal establishment of this post at the Council of Europe Ministerial Meeting in Budapest in May.