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The Committee notes with regret that the Government's report contains no reply to previous comments. It hopes that the next report will include full information on the matters raised in its previous direct request, which reads as follows:

1. The Committee notes that the Government refers to sections 8 and 18 of the Fundamental Act of 1990, which guarantee equality for all under the law without discrimination on grounds which include sex, birth, race, ethnic origin, political and religious opinion, and it states that there are no training programmes specific to citizens of one sex (men or women). The Committee draws the Government's attention to paragraphs 166 to 169 of its 1988 General Survey on Equality in Employment and Occupation in which it describes the concept of "positive action programme" which encompasses any measure designed to eliminate and make good any de facto inequalities in training and employment which affect opportunities, particularly of women, with the aim of enabling them to participate in all sectors of activity and occupations (including activities which are traditionally reserved for men) at all levels of responsibility.

In the light of the explanations provided in the above-mentioned General Survey, particularly in the paragraphs concerning positive measures (paragraphs 247 and 248), in which emphasis is placed on the danger of the persistence of de facto discrimination and the need for detailed information as a basis for remedying the discrimination, the Committee requests the Government, as it has in its previous direct requests for a number of years, to supply with its next report:

(a) statistics on the distribution of women and men at various levels of responsibility in the public service as a whole and in enterprises employing a large number of women, and on the proportion of girls and boys in the education system, particularly in scientific and technical subjects and vocational training centres, where girls are generally under-represented;

(b) the positive measures which have been taken or are envisaged to facilitate and encourage the access of women to qualifications in which they are under-represented and to promote the diversification of jobs held by women, particularly in trades or positions in which men are predominant.

2. The Committee notes that by virtue of the Decree of 23 August 1994, the labour administration services which come under the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Employment, the National Employment and Manpower Office and the National Vocational Training and Further Training Office, are an integral part of the labour administration. The Committee would be grateful to be provided with detailed information on the means used by the above two offices to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in vocational training, vocational guidance and placement. Please also supply detailed information on the supervisory activities of the labour inspection services for the application of the principle set out in the Convention and the results obtained, including any offences reported and the measures taken to remedy them.