No case for reform of the Human Rights Act, says Joint Committee on Human Rights
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights has published its response to the Government's Independent Human Rights Act Review, which concludes that the HRA has had an enormously positive impact on the enforcement of human rights in the UK, and finds that there is no case for reform under the terms of reference of the Government's review.
On the basis of evidence heard to date, the Committee have found that there is no compelling case for reform of the HRA under the Independent Review's Terms of Reference.
The JCHR found that the legislation:
- Respects parliamentary sovereignty;
- Does not draw the UK courts into making decisions which should be made by Parliament and Government;
- Provides an important mechanism which allows individuals to enforce their rights, which would be impossible for most people, were it to require the great expense and years of delay of going to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) in Strasbourg;
- Reduces the likelihood of the UK Government being found in breach of the Convention by the ECtHR by enabling the UK courts to rule on Convention rights, which they do in a way which is respected by and helpful to the ECtHR;
- Helps the ECtHR by providing greatly valued UK judicial input into European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) jurisprudence;
- Improves the work of the criminal justice system and other agencies by instilling a "human rights culture" in training and guidance.
For the response letter, click here.
7/3/21