HC Deb 09 June 1982 vol 25 cc122-3W
Mr. Ward

asked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the meeting of the EC Council of Ministers (Labour and Social Affairs) which he attended on 27 May.

Mr. Tebbit

I represented the Government at a meeting of the Council of Ministers (Labour and Social Affairs) on 27 May.

The Council agreed a directive concerning the protection of workers from harmful exposure to lead. The Council also agreed a resolution based on a Community action programme on the promotion of equal opportunities for women. The resolution is a further initiative by the Commission to stimulate progress towards equality of treatment and opportunity for women, and provides an acceptable and balanced expression of the action targets the United Kingdom and other member States should set themselves at the present time.

The main item for discussion was a resolution based on a Commission communication for an action programme to fight unemployment. The Council agreed the resolution which asks the Commission to submit proposals for further discussion.

Agreement was also reached on a recommendation on retirement age pending receipt of the opinion of the European Parliament. The recommendation seeks to establish certain principles in order to achieve the progressive introduction of flexible retirement policies in the long term. It also affirms that pensioners should not be excluded from all forms of paid employment, and that retirement preparation programmes should be made available before retirement.

A Council statement was agreed which called for an examination at national and Community level of the assessments and guidelines contained in the Commission's report on the first programme of pilot schemes and studies to combat poverty. There was also a short discussion on the progress of the draft directive on asbestos—worker protection—and an exchange of views on the proposal for a directive on voluntary part-time work.

The Council took note of a Communication from the Commission on the relationship between technical standards and safety and called for a further examination of the Communication which is concerned with the elimination of barriers to trade in products and safeguarding of workers using such products.

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