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WRITTEN QUESTION TO CHIEF MINISTER
BY DEPUTY P.V.F. LE CLAIRE OF ST. HELIER ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 19th JANUARY 2010
Question
As the UK signed the European Convention on the Rights of the Child on 19th April 1990, ratified it on 16th December 1991 and it came into force in the UK on 15th January 1992, what prevents Jersey ratifying this Convention and then moving to do everything it can to implement it, given that the Assembly agreed to do this in Priority 9 of the Strategic Plan?
Answer
The Convention on the Rights of the Child is a United Nations Convention.
Jersey cannot ratify international conventions in its own right – we must ask the United Kingdom to extend their ratification to us. Furthermore, it is an accepted principle that Jersey does not ask for ratification of any international convention to be extended until the Island is in a position to comply with the obligations arising.
At present, a detailed assessment is being carried out of Jersey's compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to identify the extent to which we are already compliant, the further legislative and practical measures that will be necessary and their resource implications. It will then be possible to develop an implementation plan with funding proposals to enable Jersey to progress towards compliance. Only then will it be possible to request extension of ratification.