§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the International Labour Organisation on child labour; and which issues were discussed during 1999. [105511]
§ Mr. HainMy right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary had talks with the Director General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Juan Somavia, in London last September. They discussed a range of issues including: measures to address child labour, modernisation of the ILO, and co-operation between the ILO, the World Trade Organisation and the International Financial Institutions.
Mr. Somavia also had talks with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the then Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunities, who confirmed the Government's intention to ratify ILO Conventions 138 and 182, both relating to child labour.