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The Committee notes the Government's report for the period ending 30 July 1997. It requests the Government to provide further information on a certain number of points.

Article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention. Please make a clarification as to whether industrial workplaces that are subject to a specialized inspection system, are also subject to a general inspection system of the Labour Inspection Committee.

Article 3, paragraph 1. The Committee requests the Government to indicate whether all matters listed in Article 3, paragraph 1, of the Convention, particularly provisions related to safety and health, are covered by the scope of authority of the State Labour Inspection of the Republic of Belarus.

Article 6. Please clarify as to whether labour inspection staff and, in general, the officials working in the state administration enjoy any additional protection of stability of their employment as compared to the protection of regular non-governmental employees.

Article 7, paragraph 2. Please indicate the methods that are used in order to ascertain qualifications of labour inspectors in the process of their recruitment.

Article 7, paragraph 3. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the specific forms of training of the labour inspectors, including the length of programmes, the number of inspectors simultaneously participating, the procedure for selection of inspectors for participation in such programmes and the length of the average period between two consecutive training programmes for a single inspector.

Article 9. Please indicate how often specialists of appropriate profile are attracted to participate in the conduct of expert examinations and inspection of the conditions of security of labour in the industry and what are the particular forms of their participation.

Article 11, paragraph 1. The Committee requests the Government to provide information as to whether local offices of the Labour Inspection Committee are suitably equipped in accordance with the requirements of the service and whether labour inspectors are provided with the transport facilities necessary for the performance of their duties in cases where suitable public facilities do not exist.

Article 12, paragraph (1)(c)(i). Please indicate whether labour inspectors are authorized to interrogate alone or in the presence of witnesses, the employer or the staff of the undertaking on any matters concerning the application of the legal provisions.

Article 19, paragraph 1. Please indicate whether labour inspectors or local inspection officers are required to submit periodical reports on the results of their inspection activities to the head office of the Labour Inspection Committee.

Article 19, paragraph 2. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the manner in which the periodical reports are drawn up, the subjects discussed in these reports and the frequency of their submission.

Article 20, paragraph 1. Please indicate whether the Labour Inspection Committee publishes an annual general report on the work of inspection services under its control.

Article 20, paragraph 2. Please indicate the timing of publication of the annual report published by the Labour Inspection Committee.

Article 20, paragraph 3. The Committee requests the Government to transmit a copy of the latest annual general report published by the Labour Inspection Committee to the Director-General of the International Labour Office within the time limit specified in Article 20, paragraph 2, of the Convention.

Article 27. Please indicate whether in the Republic of Belarus arbitration awards are enforceable by labour inspectors.

Part V of the report form. Please give a general appreciation of the manner in which the Convention is applied in the Republic of Belarus, including, for instance, extracts from official reports and information on any practical difficulties in the application of the Convention

Finally, the Committee requests the Government to provide copies of the following documents:

-- Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus.

-- Decree No. 30 of the President of the Republic of Belarus "On the system of republican bodies of state administration subordinated to the Government of the Republic of Belarus", dated 11 January 1997.

-- Regulations of the State Committee for supervision over safe conduct of works in industry and nuclear energetics, approved by Resolution No. 235 of the Council of Ministers of Byelorussian SSR, dated 13 July 1982 (as amended by Resolution No. 195 of the Council of Ministers of Byelorussian SSR, dated 21 May 1991);

-- Order of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Belarus concerning the cooperation between the Office of the Public Prosecutor and the Labour Inspection Committee.