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The Committee notes the contents of the Government's report for 1996 relative to the application of the Convention. The Committee also notes the communication addressed to the ILO by the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare in November 1997 which confirms the will of the new Government to again exercise control over national institutions and to invest them with the necessary means to enable them to respond to the legitimate expectations of the people and to request the technical assistance of the ILO in matters pertaining to labour administration. Moreover, the Committee notes the report submitted by the ILO mission, following a governmental seminar from 4 to 7 December 1995, which indicated that the situation and functioning of the labour inspectorate was far from satisfactory and, in particular, the absence of managerial status for labour inspectors (revoked many years ago); the lack of human and material resources; lack of qualification and experience of labour inspectors; the total lack of any recruitment or training policies; lack of motivation amongst labour inspectors as a consequence of inadequate salaries and non-reimbursement of expenses. Moreover, the report indicates that a Circular issued by the minister responsible for labour banned inspection visits in enterprises. The Committee notes that, as a consequence of the seminar, the ILO mission reported that the ban on inspection visits of enterprises would be immediately lifted; a text would be drafted and adopted establishing terms and conditions of recruitment, employment and promotion of labour inspectors; a recruitment and training policy for labour inspectors would be drafted and implemented; a training and career development training structure for labour inspectors would be defined and implemented and the necessary human, material and financial resources would be made available to the labour inspectorate to enable them to fulfil their missions. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on the developments in the situation and functioning of the labour inspectorate in respect of the above problems and the strategy conceptualized by the participants of the above seminar.