§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many letters he has received alleging that there was a threat to religious freedom posed by the EU directive on employment agreed between the Governments of the EU on 17 October. [135068]
§ Ms JowellWe have received over 12,000 letters following publication of the European Commission's original proposal for this directive. Of these, some 10,500 raised concerns on religious grounds, in particular that the wording of the original draft of the directive posed a threat to religious freedoms. We have now negotiated a final text which, we believe, fully responds to the concerns expressed, and allows member states considerable latitude in implementing its provisions in relation to staff policies of religious organisations. In particular the agreed text allows the UK to protect the right of church schools to give preference to teachers of their faith in line with the provisions of the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1999.