§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change to international conventions and treaties on refugees it is his policy to promote; and if he will make a statement. [28041]
§ Angela EagleIn June 2000, my right hon. Friend Jack Straw, the then Home Secretary, called for the international community to examine how better the 1951 Geneva Convention could be operated to deal more effectively with issues caused by large mixed flows of migrants. Later that year, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) launched a series of global consultations on the legal framework, operation and gaps in the 1951 convention. The consultations will conclude this year. I reaffirmed, on 12 December 2001, the United Kingdom Government's commitment to the 1951 Geneva Convention and its 1967 Protocol at a commemorative meeting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its signing.
At European Union (EU) level the Treaty of Amsterdam requires that a community instrument must replace the Dublin Convention by May 2004. The commission has presented a draft proposal for a Council regulation establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for examination of asylum applications made within the EU. The Government's view of this draft regulation can be found in the Home Office Explanatory Memorandum dated 23 October, deposited in the Library.
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