§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he has reconsidered the Government's reply to the Trades Union Congress's comments on the application of article 1 of International Labour Organisation convention 151, "Labour Relations—Public Service", to parliamentary staff, contained in the report of the committee of experts to the 71st conference of the International Labour Organisation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarThe Government have submitted further reports to the ILO since the committee of experts' report to the 71st conference in 1985 and have stated, following legal advice, that in the respects in question parliamentary staff enjoy the full range of normal employees' rights. The Government thus consider that the arrangements for parliamentary staff are fully in accordance with ILO convention 151 and that the application of article 1 of this convention to parliamentary staff is no longer at issue.