§ Mr. GrocottTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment, further to his answer of 2 December,Official Report, c. 27, what status is accorded to the Queen's birthday and Liberation day as public holidays in the Netherlands.
Mr. JacksonAccording to the Royal Dutch embassy in London the Queen's birthday and Liberation day are holidays taken by Netherlands' civil servants and some shops and offices. They are not considered national public holidays and their status appears to be similar to that of Her Majesty the Queen's official birthday on 15 June, for which United Kingdom civil servants are allowed a "privilege day" holiday.
§ Mr. GrocottTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list public holidays in each of the European Community member states, using the same definition as the European Commission in theOfficial Journal of 30 January 1991, OJ 91/C22/02.
Mr. JacksonI am not aware of any general definition of "public holidays" used by the European Commission340W and the publication referred to by the hon. Member does not contain one. This is an area where member states' custom and practice varies considerably and illustrates the difficulties in putting forward hasty proposals for harmonisation.