EMPLOYMENT PACKAGE
(a)
(20508)
10994/99
COM(99) 445
(b)
(20909)
5344/00
COM(99) 712
|
Recommendations on the implementation of Member States'
employment policies.
Draft Council Decision on guidelines for Member States' employment
policies 2000.
|
| Legal base: |
— |
| |
| Department: |
Education and Employment |
| Basis of consideration:
| Minister's letter of 17 March 2000
|
Previous Committee
Report:
| (a) HC 34-xxxi (1998-99), paragraph 14 (10 November 1999)
(b) HC 23-ix (1999-2000), paragraph 10 (16 February 2000)
|
| Discussed in Council:
| Already agreed |
| Committee's assessment:
| Politically important |
| Committee's decision:
| Cleared (decisions reported on 10 November 1999 and 16
February 2000)
|
Background
21.1 When we last considered document (a),
as part of the Employment Package, we cleared it but asked for
more information on one point. Some months later, when we were
considering document (b) — a later version of the Guidelines
for Member States' Employment Policies, the third part of
the Employment Package — we cleared the document but raised
two further questions, and noted that we were still waiting for
a reply to our earlier one.
The Minister's letter
21.2 The Minister for Employment, Welfare
to Work and Equal Opportunities at the Department for Education
and Employment (The Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell) has now replied to
all our questions. She begins by answering those we asked in relation
to document (b), as follows:
"First, the Committee
asked for confirmation that the UK's concerns about the early
drafts of Guideline 8 (training for the acquisition of computer
literacy and skills) and Guideline 15 (the rôle of the social
partners) had been resolved through the textual amendments which
were agreed in the final draft. I can confirm that we are content
with the text of these Guidelines.
"Secondly, the Committee asked why the old Guideline
15 (possibility of VAT reduction on labour intensive services)
had been dropped. The Guideline has now been superseded by the
introduction of Directive 1999/85/EC which provides for the possibility
of Member States applying for a reduced VAT rate on labour-intensive
services on an experimental basis. Given that it is no longer
needed in the Guidelines, it was agreed that it should be dropped
so as to enable a clearer focus on the remaining Guidelines."
21.3 The Minister then addresses the outstanding
question on document (a), saying:
"Finally, the Committee
asked for more details of the disagreement with the Commission
about statistics needed to monitor the European Employment Strategy,
prompted by my Explanatory Memorandum on the Recommendations made
by the Council to the UK on our employment policies. This issue
arises with particular reference to the third Recommendation,
which links to the UK's response to Guideline 3 [increasing the
numbers of unemployed people offered training and similar measures
to improve their employability]. The UK's main difficulty has
arisen in trying to agree with the Commission a definition of
active labour market policies, particularly what constitutes 'training
and similar measures', in order then to assess whether we meet
the 20% indicator for Guideline 3. We understand that we are not
the only Member State to have difficulty with the definitions
for this Guideline, and the Commission have acknowledged that
there is a problem with the interpretation and therefore are working
with the Member States to clarify this. We hope that some progress
may be made on this issue during this year, through two channels.
First, the Commission and all Member States take part in on-going
work to agree definitions and indicators, and are currently reviewing
these in respect of Guidelines 1 to 3. Secondly, a 'mid-term review'
of the Employment Guidelines is planned for this year and this
might result in amendments which would resolve our concerns under
Guideline 3."
Conclusion
21.4 We thank the Minister for her helpful
response which ties up some loose ends, and supplies the detail
missing from her earlier answer. We had already cleared both documents.
|
