(b) The use of tape recording for all interrogations by the police in England and Wales, many interrogations in Scotland, and for non-terroristrelated interrogations in Northern Ireland; (c) The introduction of Codes of Practice applied to the interrogations of detainees in relation to terrorist activities in Northern Ireland; (d) The appointment of an Independent Commissioner for Holding (Detention) Centres for Northern Ireland; (e) The appointment of an Independent Accusor of Military Complaints procedures in Northern Ireland; (f) Kingdom; The renewal of the prison infrastructure throughout the United (g) The noticeable reduction of the level of violence of detainees in detention centres of Northern Ireland; (h) The creation of an Independent Complaints Council to deal with complaints against the police in Hong Kong; (i) The emphasis placed on education and training of police, prison and immigration officers; (j) The appointment of a Prisons Ombudsman in 1994; (k) The present practice of permitting detainees in Northern Ireland, in respect of terrorist-related offences, to consult in private counsel which is considered by the Committee as a shift in the right direction; (l) The Committee notes that new Prison Rules have been drafted for Montserrat and that they will likely be enacted within a few months; (m) The new suicide-prevention processes in the prison system; (n) The Committee notes with pleasure that no case of torture appears to have come to light in the dependent Territories. 3. Factors and difficulties impeding the application of the Convention 61. In Northern Ireland the maintenance of the emergency legislation and of separate detention or holding centres will inevitably continue to create conditions leading to breach of the Convention. This is particularly so because at present the practice of permitting legal counsel to consult with their clients at their interrogations is not yet permitted. 62. The Committee regrets that invocation of the Convention by individuals is not possible since the United Kingdom has not declared in favour of article 22 of the Convention. This appears unusual given that the United Kingdom has acceded to the jurisdiction of the European Commission of Human Rights. 63. In Hong Kong the warehousing of Vietnamese boat people in large detention centres may bring the Government into conflict with article 16 of the Convention. -13-