§ Mr. BryantTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the implementation of the EU directive on fixed term work. [1966]
§ Alan JohnsonThe fixed term directive is due to be implemented by 10 July 2001, but provides that member states may take up to an extra year to implement if they encounter special difficulties. The public consultation on the implementation of this directive in the UK closed on 31 May and the responses have shown that there are particular difficulties with the implementation of the directive in this country. In particular, the relative lack of existing legal provisions on fixed term contracts in the UK has made it difficult to establish how they are used. We shall therefore be taking extra time to implement the fixed term directive and have notified the European Commission accordingly. Before deciding to take extra time to implement the Directive, we consulted with 265W employer and employee representative bodies, including the CBI and TUC. I am aware that several other member states have indicated they will also be taking extra time to implement the directive.