§ 38. Mr. GROVESasked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to the cases of hardship among handicraft teachers arising from the incidence of the application of the Burnham Report: and will he make inquiries as to whether he can adjust the effect of the retrospective clause?
Mr. WOODMy attention has been called to the position of certain of these teachers. The retrospective clause (paragraph 19 of the Burnham Report), to which the hon. Member refers, and upon which these teachers rely, provided that no scale in operation at the date of the Report should he reduced by reason of anything contained in it. It was not possible for the Board to accept this recommendation in respect either of particular areas or of particular grades of teacher, or of individual teachers, and the greatest difficulties would arise if the Board were now to depart from their practice of applying the principles of the Report equally in all cases.
§ Mr. GROVESWill the right hon. Gentleman receive representations from the teachers themselves.?
Mr. WOODI do not know whether the hon. Member has any new facts to lay before me. Perhaps the most convenient 705 course would be, in the first instance, if he would communicate anything he has in his mind to me.
§ Mr. AMMONIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that there has been a reduction of over 60 per cent. in wages?