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1. The Committee notes the Government’s report for the period ending May 2000, containing useful information in reply to its previous observations.

2. The Committee had noted the comments of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to the effect that the contract of employment of young workers should stipulate their right to education and training in view of the fact that the little paid educational leave negotiated collectively tends, in practice, to benefit non-manual workers in the professional categories. In its latest report, the Government states that since 1998 it has adopted a series of laws and regulations which provide for the granting to young workers of time for study or training to acquire a national vocational qualification at level 2 which, according to the Government, is the minimum level of qualification required to benefit from sustained employability. The Government also mentions the implementation of measures to assist apprenticeship for young workers aged between 16 and 24 years. The Committee recalls that, under the terms of the Convention, it is the responsibility of the Government to formulate and apply a national policy designed to promote the granting of paid educational leave with a view to contributing to the objectives set out in Article 3 of the Convention and that in this respect workers must be able to benefit, among others, from paid educational leave for the purpose of "training at any level" (Article 2(a)). It requests the Government to provide detailed information in its next report on the manner in which the national policy ensures the granting of paid educational leave to young workers for each of the objectives set out in Article 2 of the Convention. To this end, the Government is requested to include extracts from reports, studies and inquiries, and statistics showing the effect given in practice to this policy and the number of workers granted paid educational leave.

3. The TUC’s comments also referred to the restriction placed by the 1989 Employment Act on the possibilities of granting leave for the purposes of trade union education. The Committee wishes once again to recall that such leave, as envisaged in Article 2(c) of the Convention, should, under the terms of Article 3(b), be designed to contribute "to the competent and active participation of workers and their representatives in the life of the undertaking and of the community". Also noting the information provided by the Government concerning the recent establishment of the Union Learning Fund (ULF), the Committee requests it to indicate in its next report the manner in which it is ensured that the granting of leave for purposes of trade union education is not reserved solely for trade union representatives.

4. Finally, the Government enumerates various programmes giving effect to the principle of lifelong learning, including the establishment of a learning network distributed through new information technologies (learn/direct). The Committee hopes that the Government’s next report will contain detailed information on the effective application of these programmes. In this respect, the Government is also invited to provide extracts from reports, studies and inquiries, and the available statistical data.