article 188 of the Criminal Code would be interpreted in the light of that freedom. On the question of elucidation of the situation of persons having authority over others, the representative explained that children up to age 14 were, as far as religion was concerned, under the authority of their parents. Freedom of assembly and association 116. With reference to that issue, members wished to know whether any meetings had been broken up by the authorities during the period under review; which formations had been prohibited and which associations had been dissolved; why open-air meetings were not allowed; and why aliens were not allowed to promote, organize or preside over any meetings for the discussion of public affairs. 117. In his reply, the representative noted that freedom of assembly was guaranteed in Austria in accordance with article 21 of the Covenant although 24 hours' notice had to be given to the authorities. Recent cases of meetings being broken up concerned the National Socialist Party which, under constitutional law, was forbidden to meet in Austria. Freedom to form associations was guaranteed and recent bannings related to the creation of neo-Nazi groups and other unconstitutional formations. Restrictions on foreigners with regard to the holding of meetings applied only to the case of interference in public affairs and were consistent with article 16 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Rights of persons belonging to minorities 118. Concerning that issue, members of the Committee wished to be informed of factors and difficulties relating to the implementation and enjoyment of rights under article 27 of the Covenant; the composition, functions and activities of the Ethnic Group Advisory Councils; and the percentage of persons belonging to minorities who held public office. 119. In his reply, the representative said that Austria had not experienced difficulties in that regard since the provisions of the State Treaty of 1955 went well beyond those of article 27. As 90 per cent of Austria's citizens were Roman Catholic, religious minorities formed only a small proportion of the population and encountered no restrictions in the profession and practice of their own religion. The Government had completed a report on ethnic minorities and would make it available in English in due course. The Ethnic Group Advisory Councils advised the Federal Government and its ministers in matters concerning ethnic groups and sought to safeguard and represent the overall cultural, social and economic interests of the minorities. They were involved in the drafting of any relevant legal instruments and were empowered to make proposals for improvement. The Advisory Councils had the same position, functions and competence with regard to the governments of the Lander. There were four ethnic groups living in Austria - Slovenians, Croatians, Hungarians and Czechs. Financial subsidies were being granted to ethnic minorities and the amount of such subsidies had been increasing. It had not been possible to determine the percentage of persons belonging to minorities in public office as they were hard to identify. Only those who claimed affiliation with a given ethnic group were considered as belonging to that minority group and they were small in number. -26-