§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Blackstone on 16 December (WA 57), whether the terms of reference of the Home Office review are designed to ensure that all new offences will avoid being indirectly as well as directly discriminatory so as to be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. [HL498]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton): The aim of the Sex Offences Review is to produce recommendations for just and equitable laws in this particularly sensitive area. This is why the terms of reference include the requirement to make recommendations that will be fair and non-discriminatory in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998. It is also why the review has sought to bring in the views of people from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible.