Social Charter (Hansard, 14 June 1993)

§ Mr. Bowden
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to press for an increase in the membership of the Committee of Independent Experts on the working of the Council of Europe's social charter.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
The amending protocol en-visages an increase in the membership of the Committee of Independent Experts to "not less than nine". We support such an increase.

§ Mr. Bowden
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on recommendation 1168 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the revitalisation of the Council of Europe's social charter.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
Recommendation 1168 is an important contribution to the current consideration within the Council of Europe of changes to the European social charter.

§ Mr. Bowden
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to press for the revision of voting arrangements under the Council of Europe's social charter so that only representatives of those Governments who subscribe to the charter are able to vote on matters raised under it.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
It has now been agreed that, as envisaged by the amending protocol, only those states which have ratified the charter shall vote when the Committee of Ministers is acting as part of the supervisory machinery of the charter.

§ Mr. Bowden
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries have subscribed to the Council of Europe's social charter, but have not ratified the amending protocol opened for signature on 21 October 1991; and if he will make it his policy to encourage those who have not ratified the protocol to do so.

§ Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
The following countries have ratified the social charter, but have not ratified the amending protocol: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Decisions on ratification are a matter for individual Governments.