§ Mr. Prenticeasked the Minister of Labour if he will give full details of those parts of the resolution of the International Labour Organisation's Governing Body establishing a survey on freedom of association to which the Government took exception and which led to the United Kingdom delegate's abstention from voting on the proposals.
§ Mr. Iain MacleodThe proposals before the Governing Body of the International Labour Office authorised the Director-General to arrange directly with Governments for the sending of missions to carry out studies in their countries for the purposes of the survey without further reference to the Governing Body. In the Government's view the authorising of such missions, the estimated cost of which was disproportionately high, should remain within the control of the Governing Body and should be used only if other methods of assembling the necessary information proved to be inadequate.
It was also proposed that the survey should be of wide scope covering all relevant aspects of national life, including those features of the political, 18W economic and social conditions which affect the conception and practice of freedom of association, in the countries concerned. Despite requests for clarification, what was intended was not more precisely explained. In the Government's view, the scope of the survey needed to be more closely defined and should not extend to matters outside the proper field of the International Labour Organisation.