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LEA Administration Costs
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much was spent, in cash terms, by local education authorities in England on administration within their education budgets in the most recent year for which information is available. [100928]
Ms Estelle Morris: The following table gives information by each local education authority in England for the financial year 1997-98 on central administration expenditure within the local education authorities education budgets.
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Labour and Social Affairs Council
Mr. Jim Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the outcome of the Labour and Social Affairs Council held in Brussels on 29 November; and if he will make a statement. [100994]
Ms Jowell: I represented the UK at this meeting of the Council.
The Council approved the draft Joint Employment Report for 1999, the latest draft Employment Guidelines for 2000 and the latest draft of the Council Recommendation on the implementation of member states' employment policies. These elements were also agreed by the Joint ECOFIN/Social Affairs Council, held on the same day, at which the Secretary of State and I represented the UK. They will now be submitted to the Helsinki European Council on 10-11 December for agreement.
The Council reached political agreement on the Council Decision establishing the Employment Committee.
A Resolution on the employment and social aspects of the Information Society was adopted by the Council. This calls on member states to maximise the job potential of the Information Society through measures related to: learning and research; the world of work and public services.
In the absence of consensus on the provisions for employees involvement in the proposed European Company, Presidency efforts to find a compromise solution will continue in December.
The UK confirmed that it could only accept Article 63(4) as a legal base for extending Regulation 1408/71 (Co-ordination of Social Security Systems to Third Country Nationals). Some other member states supported Articles 42 and 308. The issue will be taken forward under the Portuguese Presidency.
Most member states called for varying degrees of extension of Regulation 1408/71 to cover Third Country Nationals and non-active persons. The UK argued in
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favour of simplifying the Regulation first and then extending it later as a separate exercise. Discussions will continue under the Portuguese Presidency.
The Council adopted Conclusions on a concerted strategy for modernising and improving social protection and agreed to the establishment of a Group of High Level Officials to exchange information and best practice and to write reports for the Council.
The Council noted a Presidency progress report on the Proposal for a Directive on Physical Agents (Vibration).
The Commissioner presented a package of measures to prohibit discrimination under the new powers of the Amsterdam Treaty (Article 13). There will be a discussion of the package in the appropriate working group in December in order to prepare the work of the Portuguese Presidency.
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.
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