Economic and Social Council GENERAL E/C.12/GBR/5 Original ...

[Pages:143]UNITED NATIONS

E

Economic and Social Council

Distr. GENERAL

E/C.12/GBR/5 31 January 2008

Original: ENGLISH

Substantive session of 2008

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS

Fifth periodic reports submitted by States parties under articles 16 and 17 of the Covenant

UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

[7 August 2007]

GE.08-40368 (E) 250208

E/C.12/GBR/5 page 2

CONTENTS

Paragraphs Page

List of abbreviations .......................................................................................................

4

Foreword .........................................................................................................................

5

Introduction

I. GENERAL INFORMATION .............................................................. 1 - 70

6

A. Land and people (including economic, social and cultural

characteristics) ............................................................................

6

B. General political structure ........................................................... 1 - 12

12

C. General legal framework within which human rights are

protected ...................................................................................... 13 - 33

15

D. Information and publicity ........................................................... 34 - 48

24

E. Legal status and specific implementation of the Covenant ........ 49 - 54

28

F. The role of international cooperation in the implementation

of the Covenant ........................................................................... 55 - 70

33

II. REPORTING ON THE SUBSTANTIVE PROVISIONS ................... 71 - 400

38

A. Response to the concluding observations of the Committee on

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ........................................ 71 - 186

38

B. Information relating to each of the articles in Parts I, II and III

of the Covenant ........................................................................... 187 - 400

74

Article 1. Self-determination ................................................... 187 - 190

74

Article 2. Realization of the rights contained in the

Covenant ................................................................. 191 - 198

75

Article 3. Gender equality ....................................................... 199 - 204

78

Article 4. Limitations ..............................................................

205

81

Article 5. Interpretation ...........................................................

206

81

Article 6. Right to work .......................................................... 207 - 210

81

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CONTENTS (continued)

Paragraphs Page

Article 7. Right to fair conditions of employment .................. 211 - 215

82

Article 8. Right to form and join trade unions ........................ 216 - 218

84

Article 9. Right to social security ........................................... 219 - 228

86

Article 10. Right to protection of the family ............................. 229 - 251

90

Article 11. Right to an adequate standard of living .................. 252 - 295

97

Article 12. Right to health ......................................................... 296 - 325 112

Articles 13 and 14. Right to education ................................................... 326 - 337 121

Article 15. Right to culture ....................................................... 338 - 400 126

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List of abbreviations BME = Black and Minority Ethnic CDs = Crown Dependencies CEHR = Commission for Equality and Human Rights CRE = Commission for Racial Equality DRC = Disability Rights Commission ECHR = Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (European Convention on Human Rights) ECtHR = European Court of Human Rights EOC = Equal Opportunities Commission HRA = Human Rights Act 1998 ICCPR = International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICESCR = International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights OTs = British Overseas Territories UK = United Kingdom

E/C.12/GBR/5 page 5 Foreword The structure of this fifth periodic report reflects the current United Nations reporting guidance on the International Covenant on Economic. Social and Cultural Rights1, in particular: - The "General Information" section has been updated to reflect the most recent statistics and constitutional changes; - The reports from the Oversees Territories and the Crown Dependences are included in the Annexes.

1 Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights et al., Manual on human rights reporting under six major international human rights instruments, Geneva, 1997 ( pdf/manual_hrr.pdf). Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Compilation of guidelines on the form and content of reports submitted by States Parties to the international human rights treaties, HRI/GEN/2/Rev.3, 8 May 2006 ( 898586b1dc7b4043c1256a450044f331/975dd3fb10e75b83c12571850050edda/$FILE/ G0641857.pdf).

E/C.12/GBR/5 page 6

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

A. Land and people (including economic, social and cultural characteristics)

United Kingdom

Population2 Number of men per 100 women3 Ethnic groups4

Percentage of population under 155 Percentage of population over 656 Percentage of population in urban areas7 Religion8

GDP9 GDP per head10 Inflation11 Government Deficit/Surplus12

60 209 500 96 White (92.1%), Mixed (1.2%), All Asian or Asian British (4.0%), Black or Black British (2.0%), Chinese (0.4%), Other ethnic groups (0.4%). 18.0% 16.0% 79.7% Christian (71.8%), No religion (15.1%), Not stated (7.8%), Muslim (2.8%), Hindu (1.0%), Sikh (0.6%), Jewish (0.5%), Buddhist (0.3%), Any other religion (0.3%). ?1 288bn at market prices in 2006 ?21 395 3.1% -?35.4bn (2.7% GDP) in 2006

2 Mid-2005 population estimates, Office for National Statistics. 3 Mid-2005 population estimates, Office of National Statistics.

4 Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics. More recent "experimental" figures released by the Office of National Statistics give the following breakdown of the population of England in mid-2004: White (89.5%), Mixed (1.5%), Asian or Asian British (5.1%), Black or Black British (2.6%), Chinese (0.6%), Other (0.6%).

5 Mid-2005 population estimates, Office for National Statistics.

6 Mid-2005 population estimates, Office for National Statistics.

7 Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics, using 2004 Urban / Rural classifications. Note that this figure is for England and Wales only.

8 Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics. Note that this figure is for Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) only.

9 UK Output, Income and Expenditure, Office for National Statistics.

10 UK Output, Income and Expenditure, Office for National Statistics., and Mid-2005 population estimates, Office for National Statistics.

11 Consumer Price Index (CPI), Office for National Statistics, March 2007.

12 UK Government Debt and Deficit, Office for National Statistics, 2006.

Government Debt13 Employment rate14 Adult literacy15 Languages

Life expectancy17 Infant mortality - number of deaths of children aged under 1 year per 1,000 live births18 Fertility rate (per woman)19 Crown Dependencies20

Population

Number of men per 100 women

Ethnic groups

E/C.12/GBR/5 page 7

?571.8 billion (43.5% GDP) in 2006 74.3% (28.98 million) 99.0% - Official language: English (throughout the UK). - Recognized languages:16 Welsh (in Wales); Gaelic and

Scots (in Scotland); Cornish (in Cornwall); Irish and Ulster Scots (in Northern Ireland). 77 (men), 81 (women) 5.0 in 2005

1.79 in 2005

- 76,315 (Isle of Man ? in 2001). - 88,200 (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2005). - 63,267 (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2001). - 96 (Isle of Man ? in 2001). - 95 (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2001). - 98 (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2001). - 51% Jersey, 35% UK, 6% Portuguese/Madeiran,

3% Irish (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2001). - 60.8% Guernsey, 0.6% Jersey, 25.9% UK, - 0.6% Irish,

1.8% Portuguese, 1.5% Other - EU, 0.6% Other Europe, 2.3% Other (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2001)

13 UK Government Debt and Deficit, Office for National Statistics, 2006.

14 Labour Market Statistics, Office for National Statistics, December 2006 - February 2007.

15 The Economist, 2003 figures.

16 Under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1992).

17 Life expectancy at birth, Interim life tables 2003-05, Office for National Statistics.

18 Infant Mortality rates 1976-2005, Office for National Statistics, 2006. Note that this figure is for England and Wales only.

19 Office for National Statistics, 2006.

20 Economic Affairs Division ? Isle of Man Treasury, Digest of Economic and Social Statistics 2006. States of Jersey Statistics Unit, Jersey in Figures 2005, Report of 2001 Jersey Census, States of Jersey 2005 Financial Accounts. 2001 Guernsey Census ? Report on the census of population and households.

E/C.12/GBR/5 page 8

Percentage of population under 15

Percentage of population over 65

Percentage of population in urban areas

Religion GDP21

GDP per head

Inflation

Government Deficit/Surplus

Government Debt Employment rate

Languages

Life expectancy

Infant mortality - number of deaths of children aged under 1 year per 1,000 live births Fertility rate22

- 17.8% (Isle of Man ? in 2001). - 15.7% (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2001). - 17% (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2001). - 16.7% (Isle of Man ? in 2001). - 15.5% (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2001). - 14.1% (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2001). - 72.6% (Isle of Man ? in 2001). - 50% approx. (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2005). - 27.6% (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2001). - Christian (majority), Islamic, Judaic (Bailiwick of

Guernsey).

- ?1.3 billion (Isle of Man ? in 2003-04). - ?2.7 billion (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2005). - ?1.5 billion (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2006). - ?17,309 (Isle of Man ? in 2003-04). - ?30,900 (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2005). - ?24,538 (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2004). - 4.2% (Isle of Man ? in 2005). - 3.1% (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2005). - 4.4% (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in Dec 2006). - ?14 million (Isle of Man ? in 2004-05). - ?51.8 million (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2006). - ?18.9 million (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2005). - ?111.8 million (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2006). - 98% (Isle of Man ? in 2001). - 82% (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2001). - 99% (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2006). - English, Manx Gaelic (Isle of Man). - English, French (Bailiwick of Jersey). - English and Norman-French (Bailiwick of Guernsey). - 76.3 ? M; 80.7 ? F (Isle of Man ? in 2001). - 77 ? M; 82 ? F (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2004). - 77.5 ? M; 82 ? F (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2001). - 3.6 (Isle of Man ? in 2000-04). - 2.4 (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2005). - 4.5 (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 1999-03). - 56.7 (Isle of Man ? in 2000-04). - 52.4 (Bailiwick of Jersey ? in 2005). - 46.6 (Bailiwick of Guernsey ? in 2001).

21 Note: Different methodologies are used to calculate the GDP between the three Islands, and therefore the figures may not be directly comparable.

22 Calculated in live births per 1,000 females aged 15-44.

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