Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Human Rights Act 1998 (Amendment)

Tuesday 29 June 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government have established an independent Human Rights Act review to examine its framework and practical operation.
  • A wholly independent review reflecting opinions from across the United Kingdom and beyond was set up, with a report due in due course, followed by a consultation on issues ahead of any potential legislative change by the Government.
  • In everything we do, checks and balances are carried out to ensure human rights protection. The current Bill before Parliament exemplifies this, with police duties balancing freedom of expression against others' rights.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Hannah Bardell SNP
Context

There is an ongoing review of the Human Rights Act framework and its practical operation.

Question

What are the Government's plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Human Rights Act 1998? The review examines the balance between courts, government, and Parliament in relation to human rights protections. This question seeks details on the outcomes of this review and any proposed amendments based on its findings.

Answer from Robert Buckland

The Government have established an independent Human Rights Act review to examine its framework, practical operation, and whether changes are needed. The review is considering the approach of domestic courts towards European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence and will report this summer with a subsequent Government response.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific legislative proposals were not detailed; only the review process was discussed.

How: Under Review

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Q2 Hannah Bardell SNP
Democracy & Elections Standards & Ethics
Context

The Government has established an independent review of the Human Rights Act, but there are concerns about the lack of public consultation in previous changes.

Question

Will any proposals to amend the Human Rights Act be subject to a full public consultation lasting at least three months? The questioner notes the Government's history of not consulting or rushing through changes without proper engagement and seeks assurances that future amendments will include thorough public feedback.

Answer from Robert Buckland

A wholly independent review reflecting opinions from across the United Kingdom and beyond was set up, with a report due in due course. Following that, there will be a consultation on issues ahead of any potential legislative change by the Government.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No commitment to a specific three-month public consultation period was made.

How: Under Review, Future Consideration

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Q3 David Lammy Lab Tottenham
Democracy & Elections Standards & Ethics
Context

The UN's special rapporteur for human rights recently expressed concern that several pieces of UK legislation could lead to increased human rights violations.

Question

Will the Lord Chancellor respond to the UN special rapporteur's assessment that recent UK legislation will make human rights abuses more likely? The questioner highlights specific laws and asks how the Lord Chancellor, in his role as a defender of human rights, will address these concerns on his two-year anniversary as Lord Chancellor.

Answer from Robert Buckland

In everything we do, checks and balances are carried out to ensure human rights protection. The current Bill before Parliament exemplifies this, with police duties balancing freedom of expression against others' rights. The Lord Chancellor will continue to discharge his duties as he has for the past two years.

Not addressed: The specific UN rapporteur's concerns and recommendations were not addressed directly.

How: Changed Subject

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