asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support the creation of a permanent international criminal court of adjudication on gross abuses of human rights, such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Government support the establishment of an International Criminal Court to try certain of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community; our support for the establishment of such a court is dependent, among other things, upon its being a court of last resort in cases where states are unable or unwilling to act. A court should only be established if it is generally accepted by the international community.The Government will take a final decision as to whether to become party to the statute establishing such a court once the statute is finalised.