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The Committee notes the Government’s brief report in which it indicates that there has been no change over the period covered.

1.  Annual inspection reports in the agricultural sector.  Noting once again that no annual inspection report has been communicated to the ILO in spite of its repeated requests, and contrary to Articles 26 and 27 of the Convention, the Committee is obliged to renew the terms of its previous observation, as follows:

The Committee notes the Government’s reports for 1996 and 1998. It refers to its previous comments and again reiterates the requirement to publish and communicate to the Office, within the prescribed time limits established under Article 26 of the Convention, annual labour inspection reports containing the information enumerated under Article 27 and recalls that the Government may avail itself of ILO technical assistance for the correct application of these provisions. The annual reports contain information enabling, on the one hand, the Government to regularly evaluate the overall progress in the labour inspection system and to adopt, where necessary, measures to improve its effectiveness and, on the other hand, provide the Committee with sound information to assess the manner in which the Convention is applied and to propose a more appropriate application of the Convention, where necessary. However, the Committee notes that, although the Government’s report contains a statement of intent, no inspection report has been transmitted to the ILO since 1996. Moreover, the 1996 report contained only partial responses to the information required by the relevant Articles of this Convention and of the Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (and Protocol, 1995) (No. 81). Statistics concerning the undertakings which require inspection visits and the number of workers employed in these undertakings had been omitted from the report despite their importance in assessing the appropriateness of the means made available to labour inspectors for the discharge of their duties. The Committee is bound once again to request the Government to regularly publish and transmit annual reports on the activities of the labour inspection service and reiterates its proposal to the Government to avail itself of the Office’s technical assistance to establish the structures to enable the correct application of this Convention and Convention No. 81.

2.  Occupational accidents and diseases (Articles 14 and 27(f)(g)).  The Committee notes that in 1999, 2,370 accidents were registered in the agricultural sector, 15 of which were fatal. Recalling that under Article 19, the labour inspection must also be informed in case of occupational diseases, the Committee requests the Government to supply information on the provisions of legislation and regulations, as well as on measures of a practical nature which ensure that labour inspectors are informed not only of occupational accidents, but also of cases of occupational diseases arising in the agricultural sector and to indicate whether, as provided under Article 19(2), labour inspectors are associated with any inquiry into the causes of most serious occupational accidents or occupational diseases.