§ Mr. Anthony Grantasked the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has studied the judgment of the European Court given on 6 July relating to the United Kingdom's equal pay legislation; and whether he intends to take any action as a result.
§ Mr. AlisonThe European Court has concluded that the provisions of the Equal Pay Act 1970 on equal pay for work of equal value do not fully comply with the EEC's equal pay directive. The Government will now study the terms of the judgment and consider what action is necessary to ensure that we meet our Treaty obligations.
The Court's decision was concerned with the interpretation of the EEC's equal pay directive. The 329W principle of equal pay for men and women has not been at issue. The United Kingdom is fully committed to that principle and our achievements in this field have been commended by the European Commission in a review of the implementation of the directive by member States.
Number of Pupils in Secondary Schools* taught Mathematics through the medium of Welsh. September 1981 County Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Years 1–6 Clwyd 344 340 166 134 139 25 1148 Dyfed 28 32 20 — — — 80 Gwent — — — — — — — Gwynedd 878 657 503 220 142 3 2403 Mid Glamorgan 415 388 377 349 342 71 1942 Powys — — — — — — — South Glamorgan 161 132 137 104 — — 534 West Glamorgan — — — — — — — WALES 1826 1549 1203 807 623 99 6107 * Maintained schools only.