HL Deb 20 November 2003 vol 654 c366WA
Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they intend to sign and ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1990 and which entered into force on 1 July. [HL5494]

Baroness Crawley

The Government have no plans to ratify the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. The scope of the convention is wider than the UK's existing immigration laws. No EU states are signatories and most of the 12 existing signatories are migrant workers' countries of origin. The Government consider that they have already struck the right balance between the need for immigration control and the protection of the interests and rights of migrant workers, who have the protection of our existing commitments under international law.