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was not optimistic about receiving a sympathetic hearing though since the Deputy Chief Minister had little time for the human rights lobby and there was anyway a general will throughout the DT to keep Mrs Britton judicial corporal punishment as an ultimate deterrent. continued that there were indications that corporal punishment would soon be abolished in Hong Kong. It was HMG's responsibility to continue to press for abolition in the other DTs.
13. Mrs Britton observed that corporal punishment in schools was currently not a matter of great international controversy. Perhaps though we should issue a reminder to the DTs in the context of the forthcoming Third Report. Mr Waterworth pointed out that recent TCI legislation had restricted the employment of corporal punishment in schools. We should bear in mind our obligations on this matter under the European Convention on Human Rights. Mr Moody reported that SED had a few weeks ago received a parliamentary question concerning the illegality of homosexuality in Gibraltar.
Mr Waterworth observed that we should encounter widespread local opposition if we sought to legalise homosexuality in the Caribbean Mrs Britton noted that the legalisation of homosexuality was not currently a prominent human rights issue.
DTS.
14. On the capital punishment question, Mr January outlined recent developments in Bermuda. Shorter's sentence had been commuted. However there were three murder cases pending, each with a high
premeditation level. A referendum bill had been agreed both by Cabinet and by the Legislature and a referendum was likely to take place within the coming five months. It was assumed that the popular vote would be in favour of the retention of hanging. Mr Wallace, supported by Mr Waterworth, emphasised that a referendum vote calling for retention should in no way detract from the Governor's prerogative to commute a death sentence where he
considered that mitigating circumstances applied.
15. Mr January reported an official announcement that the erection of gallows (total cost $340,000) in the Cayman Islands would soon be completed. Potentially controversial cases were pending in this Territory too. Two Caymanians and one Jamaican had been convicted
of premeditated murder in 1987. The Caymanians were still awaiting
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