§ Mr. Sedgemoreasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the meeting held by EEC Social Affairs Ministers on 9th December 1976 and on the meeting of the EEC Standing Committee on Employment on 13th December 1976, at both of which Her Majesty's Government were represented.
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§ Mr. John GrantI represented the United Kingdom Government at both these meetings in Brussels, and was accompanied at the former by the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security and the Under-Secretary of State for Education.
At the Council of Social Affairs Ministers agreement was reached on a directive safeguarding the rights of workers affected by mergers—the Acquired Rights Directive. The Council took note of the fourth report on the New European Social Fund of two Commission communications: on the humanisation of living and working conditions, and on vocational preparation for young people who are unemployed or threatened with unemployment. Views were exchanged on a paper on the future of social policy by former Commissioner Hillery. Views were also exchanged on a proposal for a regulation on a common system of paying family benefits and on a revised draft directive on the education of migrant workers' children, but decisions on both items were deferred to allow for further consultations in member States.
At the Standing Committee on Employment the agenda covered three important items in the social affairs field: the employment of young people, the co-ordination of Community financial instruments, and the follow up to the Tripartite Economic and Social Conference last June. The first and third items were discussed on the basis of Commission papers. The second item was based on a paper submitted by the European Trade Union Confederation.