Advice submitted to the UK Parliament's Extradition Law Committee

In September 2014 the written evidence (PDF, 212kB) was submitted to the UK Parliament's Extradition Law Committee.

National Preventive Mechanism for the United Kingdom

HRIC has long-standing engagement with the OPCAT's implementation process in the United Kingdom. Initially it supported this process in the remits of the   and since then the support of the HRIC to the UK NPM has been formalised with a Memorandum of Understanding January 2013.

October 2011

On 31 October 2011 the HRIC supported workshop of the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) for the UK entitled 'The lay monitoring bodies of the UK: challenges of being part of the UK NPM' which took place in London. The event was attended by the four institutions of the UK NPM which are lay visiting bodies: Independent Monitoring Boards (IMBs) in England and Wales as well as IMBs of Northern Ireland; Custody Visitors in England and Wales as well as those of Northern Ireland. Additionally, custody visitors in Scotland participated as de facto members of the UK NPM via their membership of ICVA. Prison Visiting Committees in Scotland and Lay Observers of court custody in England and Wales were invited along too given that they may become part of the UK NPM in the future - a recommendation to that effect has been included in the first Annual Report of the UK NPM (see p. 15). Please see the Summary of Workshop (PDF, 206kB).

May 2011

Members of the UK's National Preventative Mechanism (NPM) held a business meeting on 9 May 2011 in Edinburgh, hosted by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland. The meeting was organised in partnership with, and funded by, the Human Rights Implementation Centre (HRIC) at the University of Bristol. The meeting was opened by Nick Hardwick, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons. Please see the overview of the meeting (PDF, 246kB) for further details

UK NPM Database

HRIC has compiled and hosts the UK NPM Database  the aim of which is to provide an insight into mandates of each of these institutions through the lens of OPCAT and the requirements for the NPM that the instrument sets out. It was compiled in close collaboration with all the UK NPM institutions and is regularly updated.

This Database is recognised as the official source of information on the UK NPM institutions as per OPCAT by the Ministry of Justice.

National Council of Independent Monitoring Boards: In May 2010 the HRIC provided advice (Office document, 54kB) to the National Council of Independent Monitoring Boards regarding the compatibility of the Independent Monitoring Boards with the provisions of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT), specifically provisions relating to National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) given that IMBs have been designated to form part of the NPM for the United Kingdom.

December 2009

On 14 December 2009 a one day seminar 'The National Preventive Mechanism for the United Kingdom: what it is and what it can do' was held in the University of Bristol. The Seminar Summary (PDF, 26kB) was produced as a result of this event.

November 2007

On 26 November a one day seminar 'Implementation of the OPCAT in the UK: The National Preventive Mechanism' took place in the University of Bristol. The aim of the seminar was to bring together the relevant potential elements of the UK NPM to discuss how this would work in practise and how OPCAT would be implemented in the UK. The Summary of Proceedings (PDF, 387kB) with some suggestions for follow-up were produced as a result of this event. 

UK Government's Human Rights Advisory Group

November 2010

Professor Malcolm Evans of the Human Rights Implementation Centre was appointed to the Government's Human Rights Advisory Group. The announcement was made on 11 November 2010 by the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, in a Written Ministerial Statement to Parliament. The Group has been established to give the Foreign Secretary the best possible information about human rights challenges, and for the Foreign Office to benefit from outside advice on the conduct of its policy. The Group will be chaired by the Foreign Secretary and will hold two meetings a year. Junior ministers and Foreign Office officials will also chair additional meetings on key issues agreed by the Group.

The invited individuals are:

•     Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK
•     Dr Chaloka Beyani, LSE and UN Special Rapporteur on Internally Displaced People
•     Dr Agnés Callamard, Director of Article 19
•    Joel Edwards, International Director of Micha Challenge
•     Malcolm Evans OBE, University of Bristol, UK member of the United Nations Sub-committee on the Prevention of Torture
•     Sapna Malik, Partner, Leigh Day and Co. Solicitors
•     Professor Susan Marks, LSE
•     Tim Otty QC, Blackstone Chambers
•     Tom Porteous, Director of Human Rights Watch, London
•     Sir Nigel Rodley, University of Essex, Member of the UN Human Rights Committee
•     Dame Barbara Stocking, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB
•     Professor Surya Subedi OBE, University of Leeds and UN Special Rapporteur for Cambodia
•    Sir Nicholas Young, Chief Executive, the British Red Cross.

The individuals serve in a personal capacity to provide external advice on human rights in foreign policy and on options for addressing human rights problems.

UK Joint Committee on Human Rights

In May 2008 the Written Evidence (PDF, 130kB)  was submitted before the UK's Joint Committee for Human Rights with regard to the issue of Allegations of Torture and Inhuman Treatment in Iraq by UK Armed Forces stationed in that country following the Baha Mousa case and the evidence which emerged in the recent Court Martial Payne & Ors.

UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)

Professor Malcolm Evans and Ms Debra Long from the HRIC are members of the FCO’s sub-group on torture prevention. This sub-group meets periodically and comprises a range of international and national experts in torture prevention. The aim of the sub-group is to share information and advise the FCO on recent developments in the field of torture prevention and in the delivery of the FCO’s human rights programme.

Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)

January 2012

The HRIC was commissioned by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), - one of the UK’s three national human rights institutions, - to undertake an evaluation of its effectiveness in treaty body monitoring. This also involved organising a national workshop and interviewing a large number of key people both within and outside the Commission. The research outputs included a literature review and a larger (internal) report of the research findings that was finalized in June 2012.

Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Research on international monitoring arrangements for mental health 'A comparative review of international monitoring mechanisms for mental health legislation' (PDF, 349kB) has been published by the Care Quality Commission in July 2013. This is a comparative research carried out by Dr Judy Laing and Professor Rachel Murray for the Care Quality Commission. The research was commissioned by the CQC to assist it in understanding experiences in other countries in monitoring their mental health legislation. The research will help the CQC to move forward with the development of this function according to an international evidence base and knowledge about best practice.