British-Irish Council

HC Deb 13 May 2004 vol 421 cc483-4W

Rev. Martin Smyth

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the role of the British-Irish Council is in monitoring and co-ordinating the implementation of the provisions of the Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. [168815]

Mr. Lammy

The British-Irish Council does not have a role in monitoring and co-ordinating the implementation of the provision of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. This is a matter for the Council of Europe and each of the Charter's ratified signatories. (Out of the BIC Members, only the UK and Ireland are members of the Council of Europe, and the UK is the only ratified signatory to the Charter.)

The British-Irish Council however has a sectoral working group looking at Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-Used Languages, led by the Welsh Assembly Government. The work of the BIC in this area will complement current UK initiatives in respect of the Charter.