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The Committee notes the detailed information provided by the Government in its reports in reply to the Committee’s previous comments, as well as the attached documentation. In particular, it notes with interest that women constitute around 33 per cent of the total staff of the labour inspection services; that the wages of labour inspectors are higher than those of other workers in the public administration; that training is provided to each of them in relation to the branches of activity which they supervise within their specialization; and that the premises, means of transport and transport facilities, as well as compensation for expenditure on transport, meals and accommodation made available to labour inspectors are satisfactory.

The Committee notes that Legislative Decree No. 174 of 9 June 1947, determining offences against the legal provisions governing self-employed workers, sets the amount for the penalties applicable in the event of such offences, although a special provision provides that their amount may be revised by the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers. The Committee emphasizes the value of establishing a rapid procedure for revising the monetary value of penalties with a view to ensuring that, even in a situation of monetary inflation, such sanctions remain sufficiently dissuasive, and it would be grateful if the Government would provide information and a copy of any relevant official text showing that the arrangement for the revision of penalties by the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers meets this objective.

The Committee notes with interest that the annual inspection reports for 1996 and 1998 contain information on each of the subjects enumerated in Article 21, including statistics on cases of occupational disease, and it hopes that such complete reports will continue to be issued by the central inspection authority. However, the Committee notes that the annual report for 1997 has not been received by the ILO and that there is nothing to show that the reports which are transmitted have been published, and it reminds the Government that the publication of such reports is a requirement under the terms of Article 20, which also sets out the relevant time limits. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would take all appropriate measures relating to the requirements of this provision so that the information contained in these reports is accessible to any interested party and may give rise to reactions and comments, particularly by employers’ and workers’ organizations, in a constructive spirit. The Government is requested to provide information on any progress achieved in this respect.