Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 1990, published 77th ILC session (1990)

1. The Committee notes the information supplied by the Government in reply to its previous direct request concerning Part II (Medical Care), Article 10, paragraph 4, of the Convention, and Part VIII (Maternity Benefit), Article 49, paragraph 4.

2. Part II (Medical Care), Article 9, and Part VIII (Maternity Benefit), Article 48. In reply to the Committee's previous comments concerning the scope of the above two Parts of the Convention, the Government indicates that it has recourse to paragraph (a) of Articles 9 and 48. It also reports the creation of new medical centres and hospitals in the country. The Committee notes this information.

The Committee also notes the difficulties encountered by the Government in supplying the requested statistics. In this connection, it wishes to refer to paragraph 67 of its 1989 General Survey on Social Security Protection in Old-Age, in which it emphasises the following: "... However, international comparison is not the only purpose of compiling statistical information. An efficient system for gathering statistics is an invaluable and indispensable tool providing the national authorities with access to important information on the way in which their social security scheme operates in practice, enabling them to draw on their experience in the future. As regards coverage in particular, keeping statistics in this field should help social security bodies to verify whether all of the persons covered by social security legislation are in fact protected in practice ...". In view of the importance of this matter, the Committee therefore hopes that the Government will be able to overcome the difficulties that it has encountered and that it will be able to supply with its next report all the statistical information called for in the report form under Article 76, paragraph 1(b), of the Convention as regards both the total number of employees protected under each scheme and the total number of employees. It also requests the Government to report any progress achieved in the extension of the social security scheme to the various regions of the country.

3. Part II (Medical Care), Article 10, paragraph 1(a). The Committee once again requests the Government to supply copies of the internal regulations issued by the Governing Body of the Venezuelan Social Insurance Institute under section 119 of the General Regulations issued under the Social Insurance Act.

4. Part VIII (Maternity Benefit), Article 50 (in conjunction with Article 65). The Committee notes the Government's statement that it has recourse to Article 65 for the calculation of maternity benefits. In view of the fact that a ceiling is applied to the wages that are subject to contributions, the Committee hopes that the Government's next report will supply statistical information enabling it to verify that the amount of maternity benefit attains the percentage prescribed by the Convention (45 per cent) for a standard beneficiary whose wage is equal to that of a skilled manual male employee, in accordance with paragraph 3 of Article 65. Please, in particular, supply the statistical information called for under Titles I and V, Article 65 of the report form adopted by the Governing Body.