Cologne Council (Hansard, 6 December 1999)

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the exchanges held with the President of the European Parliament at the Cologne Council. [101018]

§ The Prime Minister
The then President of the European Parliament, Jose Maria Gil-Robles, addressed the first session of the Cologne European Council, setting out the European Parliament's views on the main issues for discussion.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the form of changes required in work organisation and working time for the creation of jobs, as stated in section 10 of the Presidency Conclusions of the Cologne Summit. [101022]

§ The Prime Minister
The Presidency Conclusions of the Cologne European Councilinvited the Commission and the member states to examine whether and how to … make changes in work organisation and working time help generate new jobs", as well as examining other areas. The Finnish Presidency held a conference on working time and work organisation in Helsinki on 11–12 October.
The Government believe that companies themselves are best placed to achieve changes in the organisation of work within the framework of minimum standards established by Government. The Government support fair minimum standards on working time, but we do not believe that there is a fixed amount of work in the economy and, therefore, do not consider that reducing working time for individuals will increase employment as a whole.
The Government are promoting a family friendly employment rights agenda which will help both women and men to combine work with family commitments. In turn, this will help employers to attract a diverse range of people who can fit the different working patterns required for the modern economy.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Prime Minister when the European Council will release to the public, pursuant to section 36 of the Cologne Presidency Conclusions, a report on global year 2000 preventative measures. [101014]
355W

§ The Prime Minister
As a result of the Cologne European Council the European Commission set up a High Level Working Group to look at cross border Y2K issues. The group has met regularly and has discussed a wide range of issues. The Commission issued a report on 26 November (COM 1999 639 final), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.