§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 22 March,Official Report, columns 372-73, what is his Department's estimate of the effect on the number in employment if (a) the European works council directive and (b) the parental leave directive, were introduced; and if he will place in the Library the information upon which his estimates are based. [25552]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 19 April 1996]: Both the parental leave directive and the European works council directive would impose costs on business and reduce flexibility. This would result in the loss of jobs, both in the short and in the longer term. The number of jobs lost would depend on a range of factors—and, in particular, on how individual businesses respond to the additional cost. It is therefore not possible to make a reliable estimate of the effect the directives would have on employment.