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1. Article 6 of the Convention. Status and conditions of service of occupational safety and health inspectors. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to provide information on the manner in which occupational safety and health (OSH) inspectors under contract were ensured stability of employment and were independent of changes of government and of improper external influences. The Government states that recourse was made of such inspectors until the prescription of the Scheme of Service for OSH inspectors. The Committee notes with interest that such a Scheme of Service has been adopted and that there are no more OSH inspectors under contract.

2. Articles 7, 8 and 10. Composition of the inspection staff and recruitment of inspectors. As regards the appointment of inspectors, the Committee notes the Government’s indication that, due to budgetary constraints, a proposition to fill only four vacancies of OSH inspector posts was submitted to the Public Service Commission. In response to the previous comments of the Committee regarding the filling of vacancies in the grade of labour and industrial relations officers (labour inspectors), the Government states that, since no qualified candidates were available on the labour market, the Public Service Commission has been requested to recruit trainee labour and industrial relations officers and that funds for seven such trainee posts will be provided in the 2007–08 budget. It notes in particular that trainees will undergo and complete a period of training of at least two years, which includes both on-the-job training and a course, to be eligible for appointment as labour and industrial relations officers as and when vacancies occur. The Committee notes with interest the measures taken to facilitate the recruitment and upgrade the skills of future inspectors. It requests the Government to indicate if all the posts of OSH and labour inspectors that have been budgeted for 2006–07 and 2007–08 have been or are in the process of being filled, taking into account the need of a gender balance in the inspection staff. The Government is also requested to report any obstacles encountered in the recruitment and training process.

3. Articles 20 and 21. Publication of an annual report. Referring to its previous comments, the Committee notes the detailed statistics attached to the report and the Government’s statement that steps are being taken for the posting of an annual report on the Ministry’s web site. It further notes that statistics on the work of the OSH inspectorate for 2004–06, as well as other data on labour inspections, are already available on this web site. Recalling that one of the purposes of the annual report on the work of the inspectorate is to help determine the resources needed, the Committee trusts that the publication of such a report can be achieved in the very near future, since most of the information to be compiled is already available.