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The Committee takes note of the Government's report.

1. The Committee notes with interest that its previous comments concerning departures from section 3 of the General Labour Act (which limits women's access to employment) are superseded in the context of the new draft General Labour Act which will be submitted to the National Congress once a consensus has been reached between the parties concerned. The Committee hopes that this Act can be adopted in the near future; it asks the Government to be good enough to supply a copy of the Act once it has been adopted.

2. With regard to procedures and measures for ensuring equality of opportunity and treatment in appointment to and promotion within the public service, the Committee takes note of the text of the Administrative Careers Act (Legislative Decree No. 11049 of 24 August 1973) supplied in response to its previous direct request. The Committee notes, however, that section 13 of the Administrative Careers Act provides that "there shall be no discrimination as to sex or of a political or religious nature" in making appointments, but does not mention the other grounds for discrimination enumerated in Article 1, paragraph 1(a) of the Convention, such as race, colour, national extraction and social origin. The Committee refers to paragraph 58 of its General Survey of 1988 on equality in employment and occupation, in which it states that, where provisions are adopted in order to give effect to the principle contained in Convention No. 111, they should include all the grounds of discrimination laid down in Article 1, paragraph 1(a), of the Convention. The Committee accordingly hopes that measures will be taken to expand the provisions of section 13 of the Administrative Careers Act so as expressly to mention race, colour, national extraction and social origin. The Committee asks the Government to be good enough to supply information about the progress made in this respect.