§ Earl HOWEasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress is being made in recognising engineering qualifications between Member States of the EEC; who is preparing the United Kingdom case for creditation of qualifications; whether they consider that the composition of the Council of Engineering Institutions (CEI) is such that specialised engineering techniques are adequately represented; and whether they consider that a Committee set up for such creditation would make speedier progress than the CEI.
§ Lord BESWICKMy Department is responsible for the preparation of the United Kingdom case for the mutual recognition of engineering qualifications in the EEC, but no formal action has yet been initiated by the Commission. In anticipation of such action, valuable help has already been received from many organisations in the United Kingdom and a second round of consultations with all of them is about to start. Suggested arrangements for creditation are included in the proposals. Mutual recognition in the EEC applies to individuals and not solely to members of particular institutions. For this reason my Department has endeavoured to consult the widest possible spread of professional and educational opinion. Although the CEI represents a majority of those individuals likely to be affected, the exact composition of the CEI is not an overriding consideration.