§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what direct consequences for public expenditure would arise if the latest proposed draft of the EC working time directive is implemented in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 13 July 1992]: No directive on working time has been adopted by the EC Council. The Government do not accept the need for such a directive and reserve the right to challenge it, if adopted, in the European Court of Justice. The proposed directive as currently drafted would require member states to implement it within three years of its adoption but does not contain specific requirements on administration and enforcement. It is likely that there would be some administrative costs for public authorities. These cannot be precisely quantified, but would be small compared to the potential cost of compliance for employers, which the Government have previously estimated at about £5 billion. This cost would be substantially reduced as a result of the agreements reached at the Social Affairs Council on 24 June. Any remaining costs of compliance to employers in the public sector cannot yet be estimated. Any effect on public expenditure would depend on the arrangements for financing such costs within the overall framework of public expenditure control.