§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath of 1 March (WA 160), whether they consider that Protocol 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights is similar to Article 14 of the Convention in that both the protocol and Article 14 prohibit discrimination which constitutes a difference of treatment that has no reasonable and objective justification. [HL1113]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe texts of Protocol 12 and Article 14 are similar in that both are silent on differences of treatment which have a reasonable and justifiable discrimination. The jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights indicates that discrimination for the purposes of Article 14 excludes differences which have such a justification, but the Court's interpretation of the Convention evolves and it is not bound by previous judgments.