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Article 14 of the Convention. The Committee refers to its observation under the Convention and notes with interest the information concerning the number and geographic distribution of the inspection visits of establishments for 1995 and 1996 as well as the statistics in respect of the industrial accidents for 1996. At the same time, the Committee notes however that for reasons of non-observance by certain establishments of the obligation to notify as laid down under legislation, the number of accidents notified does not reflect the real number of accidents. Under section 142, the cases of industrial accidents and occupational diseases must be immediately notified by the employer to the police and to the Ministry of Labour or to the local offices of the Ministry of Labour, and under section 24 of the Ministerial Order No. 32 of 1982 referred to in the Government's report, the employer shall submit to the competent labour department a quarterly report of the industrial accidents and occupational diseases. The Committee notes that under this legislation, which complies with the Convention, the measures taken in 1997, according to the Government's report, for the notification of serious accidents to the competent department of the Ministry of Labour at the same time as the police, reduces the effect of the relevant legal provisions, aforementioned, which oblige the employer to notify all industrial accidents and occupational diseases without making any distinction based on the degree of severity of the said industrial accidents or occupational diseases. The Committee hopes that the Government will ensure a stricter application of these provisions and that it will be able to provide information in its next report in respect of the progress achieved in this regard.

Articles 20 and 21. The Committee notes that the annual reports of the labour inspectorate for 1995, 1996 and 1997 have not been communicated to the ILO. With reference in this regard to its previous comments as well as its general observation of 1996, the Committee notes the Government's information to the effect that no cases of occupational diseases were notified in 1996. The Committee would like to draw the Government's attention to the need to take measures to develop, in cooperation with the medical services and the representatives of the employers' and workers' organizations, an information system enabling the rapid identification of symptoms which may be linked with occupational activity as well as the declared cases of occupational disease. The Committee trusts that the Government will adopt the necessary measures to give effect to the provisions of Article 20 and reiterates its hope that in future the annual inspection reports will contain the information required under point (g) of Article 21.