HC Deb 03 July 2000 vol 353 cc5-6W
Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the number of EU member states which have ratified the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. [127914]

Mr. Hain

The Convention came into force on 1 December 1999. Three EU member states have ratified the Convention: Denmark, Greece and Spain. Seven have signed the Convention: Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.

The Convention contains a mixture of devolved and reserved matters. The Government are considering the most appropriate way forward in the light of devolution.