§ 76. Mr. R. MORRISONasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that a circular issued by the Board fixes 1st August, 1924, as the date when the new standard of qualifications of handicraft teachers is to come into operation; whether the Standing Joint Committee has arbitrarily fixed on 1st April, 1914, as the date for differentiation in salaries of qualified handicraft teachers, thereby causing a number to suffer serious reductions in salary; and, in view of these facts, whether he intends to take any steps to mitigate the hardships unexpectedly caused by the Report of the Standing Joint Committee?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of EDUCATION (Mr. Edward Wood)The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. With respect to the second and third parts, I regret I can add nothing to the answer which I gave on the 18th June last to the hon. Member for Stratford (Mr. Groves).
§ 77. Mr. MORRISONalso asked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the date fixed in Paragraph 6e of the Report of the Standing Joint Committee (Elementary) for the Differentiation in Salaries of Handicraft Teachers is 1st April, 1914; and, seeing that the date of recognition of the handicraft diploma by the Board is 1st August each year, whether he will take steps to secure that the date for the differentiation of salaries shall be brought into line with the date of recognition?
§ Mr. WOODThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative I may point out that 1st April, 1914, is 1034 the date on which the teacher must have been appointed, and not the date upon which his diploma must have been obtained or recognised. The date in question was deliberately chosen by the Burnham Committee after full consideration of all the circumstances, and I see no ground for departing from their recommendations in this respect.