Economic and Social Council
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UNITED NATIONS E Economic and Social Distr. Council GENERAL E/C.12/GBR/5 31 January 2008 Original: ENGLISH Substantive session of 2008 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS Fifth periodic reports submitted by States parties under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND [7 August 2007] GE.08-40368 (E) 250208 E/C.12/GBR/5 page 2 CONTENTS Paragraphs Page List of abbreviations ....................................................................................................... 4 Foreword ......................................................................................................................... 5 Introduction I. GENERAL INFORMATION .............................................................. 1 - 70 6 A. Land and people (including economic, social and cultural characteristics) ............................................................................ 6 B. General political structure ........................................................... 1 - 12 12 C. General legal framework within which human rights are protected ...................................................................................... 13 - 33 15 D. Information and publicity ........................................................... 34 - 48 24 E. Legal status and specific implementation of the Covenant ........ 49 - 54 28 F. The role of international cooperation in the implementation of the Covenant ........................................................................... 55 - 70 33 II. REPORTING ON THE SUBSTANTIVE PROVISIONS ................... 71 - 400 38 A. Response to the concluding observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ........................................ 71 - 186 38 B. Information relating to each of the articles in Parts I, II and III of the Covenant ........................................................................... 187 - 400 74 Article 1. Self-determination ................................................... 187 - 190 74 Article 2. Realization of the rights contained in the Covenant ................................................................. 191 - 198 75 Article 3. Gender equality ....................................................... 199 - 204 78 Article 4. Limitations .............................................................. 205 81 Article 5. Interpretation ........................................................... 206 81 Article 6. Right to work .......................................................... 207 - 210 81 E/C.12/GBR/5 page 3 CONTENTS (continued) Paragraphs Page Article 7. Right to fair conditions of employment .................. 211 - 215 82 Article 8. Right to form and join trade unions ........................ 216 - 218 84 Article 9. Right to social security ........................................... 219 - 228 86 Article 10. Right to protection of the family ............................. 229 - 251 90 Article 11. Right to an adequate standard of living .................. 252 - 295 97 Article 12. Right to health ......................................................... 296 - 325 112 Articles 13 and 14. Right to education ................................................... 326 - 337 121 Article 15. Right to culture ....................................................... 338 - 400 126 E/C.12/GBR/5 page 4 List of abbreviations BME = Black and Minority Ethnic CDs = Crown Dependencies CEHR = Commission for Equality and Human Rights CRE = Commission for Racial Equality DRC = Disability Rights Commission ECHR = Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (European Convention on Human Rights) ECtHR = European Court of Human Rights EOC = Equal Opportunities Commission HRA = Human Rights Act 1998 ICCPR = International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICESCR = International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights OTs = British Overseas Territories UK = United Kingdom E/C.12/GBR/5 page 5 Foreword The structure of this fifth periodic report reflects the current United Nations reporting guidance on the International Covenant on Economic. Social and Cultural Rights1, in particular: − The “General Information” section has been updated to reflect the most recent statistics and constitutional changes; − The reports from the Oversees Territories and the Crown Dependences are included in the Annexes. 1 Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights et al., Manual on human rights reporting under six major international human rights instruments, Geneva, 1997 (http://www.unhchr.ch/ pdf/manual_hrr.pdf). Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Compilation of guidelines on the form and content of reports submitted by States Parties to the international human rights treaties, HRI/GEN/2/Rev.3, 8 May 2006 (http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/ 898586b1dc7b4043c1256a450044f331/975dd3fb10e75b83c12571850050edda/$FILE/ G0641857.pdf). E/C.12/GBR/5 page 6 I. GENERAL INFORMATION A. Land and people (including economic, social and cultural characteristics) United Kingdom Population2 60 209 500 Number of men per 100 women3 96 Ethnic groups4 White (92.1%), Mixed (1.2%), All Asian or Asian British (4.0%), Black or Black British (2.0%), Chinese (0.4%), Other ethnic groups (0.4%). Percentage of population under 155 18.0% Percentage of population over 656 16.0% Percentage of population in urban areas7 79.7% Religion8 Christian (71.8%), No religion (15.1%), Not stated (7.8%), Muslim (2.8%), Hindu (1.0%), Sikh (0.6%), Jewish (0.5%), Buddhist (0.3%), Any other religion (0.3%). GDP9 £1 288bn at market prices in 2006 GDP per head10 £21 395 Inflation11 3.1% Government Deficit/Surplus12 -£35.4bn (2.7% GDP) in 2006 2 Mid-2005 population estimates, Office for National Statistics. 3 Mid-2005 population estimates, Office of National Statistics. 4 Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics. More recent “experimental” figures released by the Office of National Statistics give the following breakdown of the population of England in mid-2004: White (89.5%), Mixed (1.5%), Asian or Asian British (5.1%), Black or Black British (2.6%), Chinese (0.6%), Other (0.6%). 5 Mid-2005 population estimates, Office for National Statistics. 6 Mid-2005 population estimates, Office for National Statistics. 7 Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics, using 2004 Urban / Rural classifications. Note that this figure is for England and Wales only. 8 Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics. Note that this figure is for Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) only. 9 UK Output, Income and Expenditure, Office for National Statistics. 10 UK Output, Income and Expenditure, Office for National Statistics., and Mid-2005 population estimates, Office for National Statistics. 11 Consumer Price Index (CPI), Office for National Statistics, March 2007. 12 UK Government Debt and Deficit, Office for National Statistics, 2006. E/C.12/GBR/5 page 7 Government Debt13 £571.8 billion (43.5% GDP) in 2006 Employment rate14 74.3% (28.98 million) Adult literacy15 99.0% Languages − Official language: English (throughout the UK). − Recognized languages:16 Welsh (in Wales); Gaelic and Scots (in Scotland); Cornish (in Cornwall); Irish and Ulster Scots (in Northern Ireland). Life expectancy17 77 (men), 81 (women) Infant mortality - number of deaths 5.0 in 2005 of children aged under 1 year per 1,000 live births18 Fertility rate (per woman)19 1.79 in 2005 Crown Dependencies20 Population − 76,315 (Isle of Man – in 2001). − 88,200 (Bailiwick of Jersey – in 2005). − 63,267 (Bailiwick of Guernsey – in 2001). Number of men per 100 women − 96 (Isle of Man – in 2001). − 95 (Bailiwick of Jersey – in 2001). − 98 (Bailiwick of Guernsey – in 2001). Ethnic groups − 51% Jersey, 35% UK, 6% Portuguese/Madeiran, 3% Irish (Bailiwick of Jersey – in 2001). − 60.8% Guernsey, 0.6% Jersey, 25.9% UK, - 0.6% Irish, 1.8% Portuguese, 1.5% Other - EU, 0.6% Other Europe, 2.3% Other (Bailiwick of Guernsey – in 2001) 13 UK Government Debt and Deficit, Office for National Statistics, 2006. 14 Labour Market Statistics, Office for National Statistics, December 2006 - February 2007. 15 The Economist, 2003 figures. 16 Under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1992). 17 Life expectancy at birth, Interim life tables 2003-05, Office for National Statistics. 18 Infant Mortality rates 1976-2005, Office for National Statistics, 2006. Note that this figure is for England and Wales only. 19 Office for National Statistics, 2006. 20 Economic Affairs Division – Isle of Man Treasury, Digest of Economic and Social Statistics 2006. States of Jersey Statistics Unit, Jersey in Figures 2005, Report of 2001 Jersey Census, States of Jersey 2005 Financial Accounts. 2001 Guernsey Census – Report on the census of population and households. E/C.12/GBR/5 page 8 Percentage of population under 15 − 17.8% (Isle of Man – in 2001). − 15.7% (Bailiwick of Guernsey – in 2001). − 17% (Bailiwick of Jersey – in 2001). Percentage of population over 65 − 16.7% (Isle of Man – in 2001). − 15.5% (Bailiwick of Guernsey – in 2001). − 14.1% (Bailiwick of Jersey – in 2001). Percentage of population in urban areas − 72.6% (Isle of Man – in 2001). − 50% approx. (Bailiwick of Jersey – in 2005). − 27.6% (Bailiwick of Guernsey – in 2001). Religion − Christian (majority), Islamic, Judaic (Bailiwick of Guernsey). GDP21 − £1.3 billion (Isle of Man – in 2003-04). − £2.7 billion (Bailiwick of Jersey – in 2005). − £1.5 billion (Bailiwick of Guernsey – in 2006).