ล
6. Article 43 of the Convention establishes a Committee on the
Rights of the Child to examine the periodic reports of States
Parties. This Committee is not empowered to consider communications
from individual or state sources.
E
Financing the Committee on The Rights of The Child
7. The Committee on The Rights of The Child will be financed from
the UN regular budget.
Ratification on behalf of the Dependent Territories
8. We have asked all the Dependent Territories, plus the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, whether they wished the Convention to apply to them. The majority have indicated that they wish to have
the Convention extended to them, but will need further time to
consider its implications for their own circumstances. Rather than
hold up UK ratification further, Ministers have decided to proceed
with ratification for the United Kingdom alone at this stage, and to
extend the Convention to the Isle of Man, Channel Islands and
Dependent Territories in slower time.
Timing and Publicity
9. The level of public interest is high. We should aim to ratify
and announce ratification before Parliament rises for the Christmas
recess. Ministers have agreed to announcement by means of an
inspired written PQ the day after ratification. We propose a
simultaneous announcement be made by News Department and by No 10 Press Office. The text of the announcement will be prepared nearer
the time.
C
10. The Minister of Health (Mrs Bottomley) has expressed an opinion
that the government should seek maximum publicity for the ratification. My submission of 7 November gives the reasons why we
would prefer to avoid this. Nevertheless the Department of Health
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