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The Committee notes with regret that the Government’s report has not been received. It hopes that a report will be supplied for examination by the Committee at its next session and that it will contain full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which read as follows:

The Committee notes the indication in the Government’s report that European Union Law now also applies in a number of instances in respect of certain statistics. It also notes the information provided in response to its previous comments.

The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide additional information on the following points.

Article 2 of the Convention. The Committee would appreciate being provided with more detailed information on the specific international standards taken into account in the preparation of labour statistics and the categories of statistics compiled in this field, in particular in relation to Articles 12, 14 and 15.

Article 9, paragraph 1. The Committee notes the Government’s indication in reply to its previous comments that “Earnings and hours of work are covered in the industrial and construction/public works series, while earnings are covered for the banking, insurance and building society sectors, as well as the public sector. In the distribution and business services sectors, earnings statistics cover full-time employees.” This can be interpreted as meaning that statistics of hours of work derived from establishment surveys still do not cover the services and public sectors.

The Government also indicates that the above series on earnings and hours of work are to be subsumed into a new survey, the earnings, hours and employment costs survey (EHECS) and that statistics on total earnings and hours (on a paid hours’ basis) will be collected for all categories of employees and will be disaggregated into three occupational groupings. Detailed disaggregation of components of earnings (regular, overtime, bonus, etc.) will also be collected, as well as other non-earnings labour cost items.

The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate, as requested in its previous comment, any measure envisaged to extend the collection, compilation and publication of such statistics to the services and public sector.

Article 9, paragraph 2. Noting that statistics of average wage rates and normal hours of work are not compiled, the Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate any measure envisaged with a view to the collection, compilation and publication of such statistics and if it would keep the ILO informed of any developments in this field.

Article 11. The Committee notes that the survey on labour cost for the year 2000 conducted in 2001, in compliance with the EU Council Regulation, which was referred to as being attached to the report (sent by email), has not yet been received. It hopes that the Government will ensure that statistics on labour cost are communicated to the ILO as soon as they become available.

Article 12. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would indicate the extent to which the standards adopted in this respect under the auspices of the ILO have been taken into account, as envisaged in Article 2, and if it would keep the ILO informed of any further developments in this field.

Article 13. The Committee asks the Government to communicate the results of the 2003 survey on income and living conditions (SILC), undertaken as part of an EU-wide programme to obtain information on the income and living conditions of different types of households, as soon as they are available.

Article 14. The Committee notes that this Article is now in general applied. Statistics on non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses, including those with fewer than three days of absence from work, are compiled regularly each year through the Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS), and that they are representative of private households and all types of workers. The Committee once again hopes that the Government will not fail to supply to the ILO: (i) information on the particular standards and guidelines that have been taken into consideration in the development of statistics of work accidents (in accordance with Article 2); (ii) a more detailed description of the sources, concepts, definitions and methodology used in collecting and compiling statistics of occupational accidents (in accordance with Article 6); and (iii) information regarding the compilation of any data on work time lost.

Article 15. Noting that no information has been provided in reply to its previous reiterated comments, the Committee once again asks the Government to: (i) specify the standards and guidelines taken into consideration in the development of these statistics (in accordance with Article 2); and (ii) provide a detailed description of the statistics published by the competent national body (in accordance with Article 6).

Article 16. The Committee wishes to draw the Government’s attention once again to the possibility of accepting the obligations under Article 10, in accordance with Article 16(3), and to communicate to the ILO, as soon as practicable, the relevant publication containing the results of the 1996 EC structure of earnings survey.