§ Dr. NaysmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for what reasons the United Kingdom Government reserved its position on section 9 of the UNESCO Recommendation on the status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel; and if he will make a statement on the alterations to that recommendation sought by Her Majesty's Government. [18485]
§ Dr. HowellsThe UNESCO General Conference adopted the Recommendation with UK support, but with the following reservation expressed by the United Kingdom and supported by Australia, New Zealand, Spain and France
The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and France strongly support the recommendation's aims of securing academic freedom and human rights for higher-education teaching personnel. These Member States also strongly support the principles in Section IX "Terms and Conditions of Employment". However, because the drafting of this section appears to go, in such great detail, into areas that are properly the responsibility of individual Member States and institutions, these Member States reluctantly place a reservation on this section.On the advice of the UNESCO Secretariat, the UK Government did not seek alterations to the text of the Recommendation.