To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the registrar and other registry staff working at the European Court of Human Rights are accountable to the judges of the Court or to the secretary general of the Council of Europe for the management of pending cases. [HL4097]

In accordance with Rule 17 of the Rules of Court, in carrying out his responsibilities which include assisting the court in the exercise of its judicial functions, the registrar of the European Court of Human Rights acts under the authority of the president of the court. Staff members of the registry are staff members of the Council of Europe, the court's parent organisation, and are subject to the Council of Europe's staff regulations.

To ask Her Majesty's Government by what standards they decide whether to monitor a country's human right abuses; and how often those standards are reconsidered. [HL4140]

Our diplomatic missions overseas report events, activities and other information relevant to our policy goals back to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and to other government departments. This includes information on the human rights and democracy situation in countries.

An important factor in deciding how to deploy our finite resources is the state's own capacity to address human rights concerns, as well as access to regional mechanisms, for example the European Court of Human Rights. The level of monitoring or reporting also depends on the seriousness of the human rights situation as assessed by our diplomats on the ground, FCO and other relevant officials, and their relevance to the Government's policy goals.

Human rights are essential to the delivery of our strategic goals whether in combating the global scourge of terrorism and its causes; preventing conflict and fostering its resolution; promoting a high-growth, low-carbon global economy; or strengthening institutions such as the UN, EU and the Commonwealth. We do not therefore have discrete criteria for monitoring human rights abuses as we do not see human rights and democracy issues as separated from our broader international interests.