UNITED NATIONS CCP International covenant Distr. GENERAL on civil and CCPR/C/95/Add.3 political rights 19 December 1994 Original: ENGLISH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 40 OF THE COVENANT Fourth periodic reports of States parties due in 1994 Addendum UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND 1/ [14 October 1994] 1/ For the initial report submitted by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, see CCPR/C/1/Add.17, Add.35, Add.37 and Add.39; for its consideration by the Committee, see CCPR/C/SR.67, SR.69 and SR.70; SR.147-SR.149; and SR.161, SR.162 and SR.164, and Official Records of the General Assembly, Thirty-third session, Supplement No. 40 (A/33/40), paras. 184-226, as well as Thirty-fourth session, Supplement No. 40 (A/34/40), paras. 228-247 and paras. 300-371, respectively. For the second periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, see CCPR/C/32/Add.5, Add.14 and Add.15; for its consideration by the Committee, see CCPR/C/SR.593-598 and SR.855-SR.857 and Official Records of the General Assembly, Fortieth session, Supplement No. 40 (A/40/40), paras. 518-580, and Forty-fourth session, Supplement No. 40 (A/44/40), paras. 140-189, respectively. For the third periodic report submitted by the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, see CCPR/C/58/Add.6, Add.11 and Add.12; for its consideration by the Committee, see CCPR/C/SR.1045-SR.1050 and Official Records of the General Assembly, Forty-sixth session, Supplement No. 40 (A/46/40), paras. 351-414. GE.94-70475 (E) CCPR/C/95/Add.3 page 2 CONTENTS Paragraphs Page I. GENERAL ...................... 1- 9 4 II. INFORMATION IN RELATION TO EACH OF THE ARTICLES IN PARTS I, II AND III OF THE COVENANT ....... 10-497 5 Introduction.................... 10- 11 5 Article 1 ..................... 12- 17 6 Article 2 ..................... 18- 56 7 Article 3 ..................... 57- 76 16 Article 4 ..................... 77- 80 20 Article 5 ..................... 81- 83 21 Article 6 ..................... 84-112 21 Article 7 ..................... 113-170 27 Article 8 ..................... 171 38 Article 9 ..................... 172-193 38 Article 10..................... 194-282 44 Article 11..................... 283 61 Article 12..................... 284-288 62 Article 13..................... 289-304 63 Article 14..................... 305-340 66 Article 15..................... 341-344 73 Article 16..................... 345 74 Article 17..................... 346-358 74 Article 18..................... 359-364 77 Article 19..................... 365-379 78 Article 20..................... 380-381 81 Article 21..................... 382-387 81 CCPR/C/95/Add.3 page 3 CONTENTS (continued) Paragraphs Page Article 22..................... 388-400 82 Article 23..................... 401-404 85 Article 24..................... 405-440 85 Article 25..................... 441-482 93 Article 26..................... 483 99 Article 27..................... 484-497 99 Appendices I. List of documents referred to in the report .......... 102 II. List of annexes ........................ 107 CCPR/C/95/Add.3 page 4 I. GENERAL 1. The general framework within which the rights recognized in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights are protected in the United Kingdom was explained in the Introduction to the United Kingdom’s initial report of August 1977 and in Part I of the United Kingdom’s third periodic report of October 1989. 2. In the past five years, the question of the best means of providing for the human rights recognized in the Covenant and those other international instruments to which the United Kingdom is party has been a subject of debate. This reflects, in part, the way in which interest in human rights issues has been stimulated by the United Kingdom’s extensive participation in work in this area. 3. The United Kingdom has given close attention to meeting the reporting requirements under those international instruments and to assisting and responding to the work of any visiting committee. The United Kingdom has also played a leading role in recent work to reform the institutions and procedures established under the European Convention on Human Rights. The revised arrangements are contained in the Eleventh Protocol to the Convention, which also makes mandatory and permanent the right of individual petition to the European Court of Human Rights. The United Kingdom signed the Eleventh Protocol in May 1994 and hopes to ratify it by the end of the year. 4. In the debates on human rights issues that have occurred in Parliament and elsewhere in recent years, the Government has maintained the long-established principle that the rights and freedoms recognized in international instruments and in the constitutions of those countries that have enacted a comprehensive Bill of Rights are inherent in the United Kingdom’s legal system and are protected by it and by Parliament unless they are removed or restricted by statute. The Government does not consider that it is properly the role of the legislature to confer rights and freedoms which are naturally possessed by all members of society. It also believes that Parliament should retain the supreme responsibility for enacting or changing the law, including that affecting individual rights and freedoms, while it is properly the role of the judiciary to interpret specific legislation. 5. The incorporation of an international human rights instrument into domestic law is not necessary to ensure that the United Kingdom’s obligations under such instruments are reflected in the deliberations of government and of the courts. The United Kingdom’s human rights obligations are routinely considered by Ministers and their officials in the formulation and application of Government policy, while judgements of the House of Lords have made clear that such obligations are part of the legal context in which the judges consider themselves to operate: "There is a prima facie presumption that Parliament does not intend to act in breach of international law, including therein specific treaty obligations; and if one of the meanings which can reasonably be ascribed to the legislation is consonant with the treaty obligations and another or others are not, the meaning which is consonant is to be preferred." (Salomon v. the Commissioners of Customs and Excise [1967] 2 QB 116.) CCPR/C/95/Add.3 page 5 The application of this principle (extended to the common law) in relation to the European Convention on Human Rights may be seen in Derbyshire County Council v. Times Newspapers Limited [1992] 3 WLR 28. (The decision was upheld on different grounds in the House of Lords, where their Lordships found no ambiguity in the common law, [1993] AC 534.) 6. Nor is the ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Covenant allowing the right of individual petition to the Human Rights Committee necessary to ensure the protection of individual rights in this country. Whether in civil or criminal proceedings or in the developing field of judicial review of executive decision-making, the domestic courts continue to play an effective role as protectors of individual rights, while since 1966 individuals in the United Kingdom have had access to an additional means of redress through the procedures and institutions established under the European Convention on Human Rights. That machinery provides protection which is now familiar and well used and the Government does not believe that ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Covenant would significantly enhance the protection of individuals under the United Kingdom’s jurisdiction. 7. The United Kingdom is a unitary State and comprises England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; references in this report to "Great Britain" refer to England and Wales and Scotland taken together. Scotland and, to some extent, Northern Ireland have different legal systems from that which applies in England and Wales, but similar principles apply throughout the United Kingdom. 8. As with previous reports, the Government intends to make the text of this report and of the summary record of the oral examination by the Human Rights Committee widely available throughout the United Kingdom. Copies of the report and, in due course, of the text of the oral examination will be placed in the Library of both Houses of Parliament and made freely available to those outside Parliament, including in non-governmental organizations, who wish to receive a copy. The text of the oral examination will be circulated widely and studied closely within government as part of the ongoing process by which the Government seeks to ensure that the rights and freedoms of individuals within the United Kingdom and subject to its jurisdiction are fully in accordance with the United Kingdom’s international obligations. 9. A supplementary report describing the position in the United Kingdom’s Crown dependencies and dependent territories, including Hong Kong, is being submitted separately. II. INFORMATION IN RELATION TO EACH OF THE ARTICLES IN PARTS I, II AND III OF THE COVENANT Introduction 10. The following information is supplementary to that provided in the United Kingdom’s initial, second and third periodic reports of August 1977 (CCPR/C/1/Add.17), August 1984 (CCPR/C/32/Add.5) and October 1989 (CCPR/C/58/Add.6) and supplementary report to the third periodic report of March 1991 (CCPR/C/58/Add.12). It is also supplementary to that given by the CCPR/C/95/Add.3 page 6 United Kingdom delegation at the meetings of the Human Rights Committee which discussed those reports, most recently in April 1991 (CCPR/C/SR.1045-1050). Account has been taken in the preparation of the report of the general guidelines for periodic reports and of the general comments on particular articles adopted by the Human Rights Committee.