§ Lord Dubsasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the outcome of the Social Affairs Council held in Brussels on 8th May. [HL2482]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone)My right honourable friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunties represented the UK at the Employment and Social Affairs Council held in Brussels on 8th May. There were two items on the agenda: the Broad Economic Guidelines 2000 (BEGs), prepared by Economic and Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) in accordance with Article 99 of the Treaties establishing the European Community; and Article 13 (non-discrimination).
In the discussion on the Broad Economic Guidelines, the UK supported the emphasis on structural reform but argued that more attention should be given to tackling social exclusion. The Presidency undertook to write to ECOFIN summarising the views of the Employment and Social Affairs Council and said that he had received an assurance that ECOFIN would not be invited to 17WA finalise its draft of the BEGs until it had received the views of the Social Affairs Council.
The Presidency reported on the negotiations on the two proposed Directives and the action programme brought forward under Article 13 (non-discrimination). The Presidency noted that a number of issues remained to be resolved but hoped to register progress at the SAC on 6th June.