§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government will introduce legislation to comply with the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in Hirstv. United Kingdom. [15675]
§ Beverley HughesThere are no plans to introduce new legislation as there is nothing in the judgment to require this. Existing domestic legislation provides a flexible framework within which successive Parole Board reviews can be held so that the period between reviews in each case is decided on its merits, compatibly with Article 5(4) of the European Convention on Human Rights. Appropriate guidance has already been issued following the earlier European Court of Human Rights judgment in the case of Oldham.
Further training will be provided to ensure that relevant Prison Service staff and Parole Board members are aware that the timing of reviews should be geared to the particular circumstances of each case, subject to the statutory maximum interval of two years which must only be set where this is justified in the individual circumstances.