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The Committee has noted the information supplied in reply to the previous direct request. It has also noted the attached comments of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions (SAK) and the Confederation of Salaried Employees (TVK) regarding the application of the Convention. The SAK refers to the Finnish National Programme for the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment of Disabled Persons, prepared with the participation of the Workers' and Employers' organisations, and approved in 1987. The SAK considers that the number of versatile rehabilitation services under this programme is still insufficient and so is the subsistence support during the rehabilitation. The TVK considers the administrative decentralisation to be crucial and the situation of vocational training and other services unsatisfactory, and it also points out economic and regional differences in the services, training and subsistence support.

The Committee has also noted the Government's indication that the Finnish National Programme is meant to clarify the administration and operation of the rehabilitation services and employment of disabled persons and that many reform projects to realise the programme are in hand, including legislative reform for the subsistence security during the rehabilitation and the development of early vocational rehabilitation at the workplace. The Committee asks the Government to supply the text of the programme itself with its next report, to indicate whether it will be peridocially reviewed (Article 2 of the Convention), and to continue to provide information on measures taken for the implementation of the programme, related in particular to the above-mentioned comments of the trade unions.

The Committee has further noted that the findings of the study, referred to in its previous direct request are not yet available and that there is another study initiated in 1989 on permanently subsidised work for the disabled. Please include in the future reports details of the findings of these studies and of any other research on the related matters.

Article 3. The Government states in its report that under the new employment system from 1 January 1988, disabled persons who have been found incapable of working by the legally valid decision of the social insurance are not covered by the employment subsidy system. The Committee hopes that the next report will give further clarification on this point, including, in particular, the criteria of "incapability" and details of the employment subsidy system from which these persons are excluded.

Article 8. The Government also refers to the regional differences in the status of the disabled on the labour market. Please describe measures taken or envisaged with a view to reducing the differences between regions as regards vocational rehabilitation and employment services for disabled persons.