Written question asked by Greg Pope (Labour) on Thursday, 2 July 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 July 2009. It was answered by Chris Bryant (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 July 2009 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

British Overseas Territories: Discrimination

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to include a prohibition on discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in the constitutions of Overseas Territories.

Answer: The Government take the protection of human rights very seriously. We ensure that all new constitutions contain a Bill of Rights that reflects, at a minimum, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This ensures that all groups, whether or not specifically mentioned in each Bill of Rights, have at least the same degree of protection under the relevant constitution as people in the UK have under the ECHR and Human Rights Act. Under these instruments discrimination on the ground of sexual orientation is prohibited.In addition, we strongly encourage each Overseas Territory to agree to include a specific prohibition on discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in their new constitutions. The outcome depends on the constitutional negotiation with each territory.

Secondary information