§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Country Assessment Unit of the Home Office has studied the reports of the Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups of the United Nations Human Rights Commission; and which country assessments have been amended so far in the light of this information. [HL1286]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonOfficials in the Country Information and Policy Unit draw on a wide range of material in preparing all the country assessments, including the reports of the United Nations' Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups. These reports carry significant weight and are studied as a matter of course. An index that forms part of each assessment identifies the documents from which the assessment has been sourced. In a few instances, the reports may not feature as a source reference—for example, when the issues reported on are not commonly raised by asylum seekers in the United Kingdom or where the information they contain is reflected in other material in the public domain.
Amendments are made every six months and take account of all the latest information and comments. It is not possible to ascribe particular changes to particular publications or comments.