§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will recognise Rastafari as a religion for the purposes of prison administration so as to secure the rights of religion without discrimination of prison inmates as guaranteed by Article 9 and Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights. [HL4107]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton)The Prison Service recognises the culture of Rastafari by, for instance, allowing Rastafarians to wear dreadlocks and to be provided with a special diet. The Prison Service is seeking further information in order to establish whether it would be appropriate to treat Rastafari as a religious as well as a cultural movement.