HC Deb 07 February 1995 vol 254 c176W
17. Mr. John Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment he has made of the impact on United Kingdom unemployment of the EU's 48-hour working week directive.

Miss Widdecombe

The Government negotiated the working time directive so that people could continue to be free to work more or less than 48 hours a week. Ii. is not possible to make numerical estimates of the effect on unemployment, but any statutory limit on working hours would be damaging to competitiveness, jobs and the economy.