§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the 1055W Government of Japan about its refusal to subscribe to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction; and if he will make a statement. [137846]
§ Mr. Straw[holding answer 18 November 2003]: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office encourages all countries with whom the UK has comity of law to join the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction (1980). We believe this comity of law exists between Japan and the UK and are committed to working with the Hague Secretariat to provide the Japanese Government with the information it needs to come to a decision on membership.
We are working with our partners in the EU to put the case for joining the Hague Convention to Japan. In recent exchanges between the EU and Japan on human right and consular issues, the EU has raised Japanese accession to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction.
§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to make representations on behalf of individual citizens of the United Kingdom to the Government of Japan when allegations of child abduction from the United Kingdom to Japan arise; and if he will make a statement. [137847]
§ Mr Straw[holding answer 18 November 2003]: In cases of child abduction to countries that are not states party to the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction 1980. such as Japan, we advise parents to resolve custody and access issues through the domestic courts in the country concerned, or through mediation.
We would not make representations on behalf of British nationals to the foreign governments concerned as a matter of course, but would consider doing so in exceptional circumstances, for example once the court process has finished, in order properly to enforce the outcome.