§ Mr. MacShaneTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from the US Government in respect of the abolition of child labour. [7007]
§ Mr. PaiceI have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has received no such representations, but the US Government are amongst those joining with the UK in supporting the International Labour Organisation's proposal to draw up a new international instrument to tackle the problem of child labour.
§ Mr. MacShaneTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how many children under the age of 14 years work(a) full and (b) part-time in the United Kingdom. [7011]
§ Mr. BurnsI have been asked to reply.
Children under the minimum school leaving age are not permitted to work full-time. Children are permitted to work for a limited number of hours in suitable types of job. Statistics on the number of children working are not collected centrally. Such information as is available was published in the April 1995 edition of the "Employment Gazette", copies of which are available in the Library. Questions relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Scotland, and for my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.