Employment Pact (Hansard, 6 December 1999)

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if section II 4 of the Resolution of the European Council on the European Employment Pact permits positive discrimination. [101099]

§ Ms Jowell
Section II 4 of the Resolution of the Employment Council does not permit positive discrimination and, in any case, has no legal effect.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the implementation of subsidiarity within the Employment Pact, with reference to individual projects planned. [101098]

§ Ms Jowell
The European Employment Pact is consistent with the principles of subsidiarity. The Pact is an amalgam of three non-binding processes, the existing Luxembourg employment process and the Cardiff economic reform process, and a third, new element, the macro-economic dialogue, termed the 'Cologne process'. There are no new individual projects planned.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on his policy regarding the Macro-economic Dialogue, indicated in section 12 of the Resolution of the European Council on the European Employment Pact; and what discussions he has held on the dialogue. [101111]

§ Ms Jowell
The macro-economic dialogue referred to in section III of the Resolution of the European Council on the European Employment Pact takes place biannually among social partners and fiscal and employment policy makers at EU level. There are two elements, a technical working party which had their first meeting on 29 October 1999 and a political level ministerial meeting which took place for the first time on 8 November 1999. These meetings provided an opportunity for an initial exchange of views.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the Jumbo Council meeting referred to in the report to the Cologne Council on the European Employment Pact. [101113]
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§ Ms Jowell
The Jumbo Council is the meeting of the Finance and Economic Policy Council and the Employment and Social Affairs Council. It meets every six months during each Presidency.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the measures for closer co-operation between EU states within the framework of the European Employment Pact; what new priorities are under discussion; and if he will make a statement on progress made under the Pact. [101110]

§ Ms Jowell
The European Employment Pact agreed at the Cologne European Council on 3–4 June 1999 brought together three processes. Two of these were the existing Luxembourg employment process and the Cardiff economic reform process. The third, new, element was the macro-economic dialogue, termed the 'Cologne process'. The Pact gives fresh impetus, through the macro-economic dialogue, to the promotion of long term, sustainable job creation in a climate of stability and steady growth.

§ Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many jobs his Department estimates have been created as a consequence of decisions taken through the Employment Pact. [101112]

§ Ms Jowell
The European Employment Pact gives fresh impetus to the existing Luxembourg employment process as well as introducing a macro-economic dialogue process which helps create a climate of stability and steady growth. The UK National Action Plan, produced as part of the Luxembourg process sets out policy initiatives for a medium term strategy to maximise job creation.