Harriett Baldwin welcomes reform of the European Court of Human Rights and calls on the Government to closely monitor the situation to ensure that the reforms are fully implemented in Strasbourg. Harriett Baldwin (West Worcestershire) (Con): What assessment he has made of progress in reforming the operation of the European Court of Human Rights; and if he will make a statement. [106581] Mr Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con): Good progress has been made in clearing the backlog of inadmissible cases, but more work is needed to address the growing backlog of admissible cases, hence the recent Brighton declaration under the UK’s chairmanship of the Council of Europe, which represents a substantial and important step towards realising the Government’s ambitions. ... Harriett Baldwin: In welcoming these reforms, my constituents fear that they might not be acted upon. What can my hon. Friend do to ensure that the Strasbourg Court recognises the will of this national Parliament? Mr Vara: My hon. Friend makes a very good point. Under the Brighton declaration, we have agreed a framework for longer term reform, with built-in review points up until 2019, to give impetus to the measures proposed under the Brighton declaration and to consider whether further measures are needed. We will, of course, continue to monitor progress. | Hansard