§ Mr. Molloyasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the meeting held by EEC Social Affairs Ministers on 18th December 1975 at which Her Majesty's Government were represented.
§ Mr. John FraserAt the Council of Social Affairs Ministers held in Brussels on 18th December, the United Kingdom was represented by the Under-Secretary of State for Employment and by the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security.
Agreement was reached in principle on the draft directive on equal treatment of men and women workers; on a resolution on a programme of action for migrant workers; on a regulation extending certain trade union rights to migrant workers; on the continuation of a scheme of assistance under the European Social Fund to help workers from the textile industry and its extension to the clothing industry, and on a regulation on the compilation of statistics on foreign workers. As regards the action programme for migrant workers a provisional draft of the Council resolution agreed at 65W the meeting, based on a text circulated by the Council secretariat, is being deposited in the Library.
The Council decided not to proceed with a proposed measure under Article 4 of the Social Fund to help certain sectors and regions, nor with a proposal aimed at introducing common arrangements for the payment of certain family benefits.
A brief exchange of views took place on the draft directive on the education of children of migrant workers.