§ Mr. Carmichaelasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the meeting held by the EEC Council of Ministers (Social Affairs) on 28th June 1977, at which Her Majesty's Government were represented.
§ Mr. John GrantI represented the United Kingdom Government at a meeting of the EEC Council of Ministers (Social Affairs) held at Luxembourg on 28th June 1977. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Wales chaired this meeting and my hon. and noble Friend the Minister of State, Department of Education and Science also attended.
At this Council meeting agreement was reached on two directives. The first concerns the education of migrant workers' children and will assist the free movement of workers within the Community by providing for specific educational needs of their children. The second directive on 519W the harmonisation of safety information, or safety signs, at work, will contribute to the improvement of working conditions throughout the Community. It will apply to all industries apart from coal mining. Regulations will need to be made by 1st January 1979 to come into effect by 1st January 1981.
The main item on the agenda was the Commission's proposal for the revival of the tasks and operation of the European Social Fund. I am glad to report that a broad measure of agreement was reached on the main issues.
It was agreed to maintain the present structure, under which assistance may be given towards vocational training and resettlement operations under two main headings. These are Article 5, under which the European Commission may grant assistance, mainly in regions suffering from structural unemployment and to help the resettlement in employment of disabled people; and Article 4, under which the Council decides on schemes for particular industrial sectors or groups of people.
At present there are Article 4 schemes for workers leaving agriculture and in or leaving textile and clothing industries, unemployed young people, migrants and disabled people. It was agreed that after the end of this year assistance for operations for disabled people would be concentrated under Article 5, and the Article 4 scheme would be discontinued; this change will not reduce the scope of Social Fund assistance for them. The Council, taking account of the views of the European Council at Rome in March, requested the Commission to submit proposals for a new scheme under Article 4 for the benefit of women.
It was further agreed that the amount of aid from the Fund for operations in regions with particularly severe employment difficulties would be raised by 10 per cent. These regions are to be defined later by the Council on a proposal from the Commission which can be expected later this year.
It was agreed that the aim should be to concentrate Fund intervention on the areas of greatest need and the Commission undertook to explore the best means of doing so.
The agreement has been reached on the basis that further detailed examination 520W will take place of the provisions necessary to give effect to the decisions of the Council and to make changes in administrative procedures which are generally agreed to be necessary. It is subject to final confirmation at a future Council of Ministers (Social Affairs). In addition, the conciliation procedure involving the European Parliament is likely to be needed. The way should then be clear for the Fund to play its part more effectively in dealing with problems of unemployment in the Community today.
The Council also received a statement from Commissioner Vredeling on the future of social policy in the Community, and took note of a Commission communication on the setting up of a European Trade Union Institute and of a progress report on certain Commission proposals which are not yet ready for discussion by the Council itself.