§ Mr. AshdownTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information is available to him regarding the present annual cost of safeguarding payments to teachers(a) nationally and (b) for a typical local education authority that has recently undertaken a major redeployment exercise; whether his draft circular on local financial delegation permits continued safeguarding outside allocated school budgets; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. DunnThe information requested is not available. However, the cost of safeguarding nationally will have diminished greatly from October 1987, when the restructuring of teachers' pay led to many formerly safeguarded teachers becoming entitled to an incentive allowance in their present post. The draft circular on financial delegation states that in exceptional cases LEAs might wish to offer compensation outside the delegated budget for the additional costs to a school of taking on a teacher with a safeguarded incentive allowance. My right hon. Friend would expect this item to be limited in extent.