Prisoners: Voting

Lord Tebbit Excerpts

Tuesday 25th January 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

That is a proposition that the Government have indeed considered.

[Lord Tebbit]

My Lords—

[Lord Thomas of Gresford]

My Lords—

[Noble Lords]

This side!

[Lord Tebbit]

Will my noble friend answer a question that I put to the noble Lord, Lord Bach, when he was in government? When were the British people given the opportunity to express their view on this matter?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

The British people express their view on these sorts of issues through Parliament and through parliamentary debate. We are signatories of the European Convention on Human Rights—indeed, we were one of the founding signatory states—and generally I think that the British people believe in obeying the jurisdiction of conventions to which we sign up.