§ 33. Mr. AMMONasked the President of the Board of Education whether he has information as to the number of local education authorities who do not propose to ask the teachers for an abatement of 5 per cent off their gross salaries for the financial year commencing 1st April, 1923; and whether, should an authority decide not to make the 5 per cent. reduction, but to continue to pay salaries according to the Burnham standard scale already agreed to between themselves and their teachers, the Board will recognise such expenditure for grant purposes?
Mr. WOODI have no precise information, but so far as I am aware very few local education authorities contemplate not making the abatement agreed upon by associations of teachers and local education authorities represented on the Burnham Committees, in view of special circumstances peculiar to their areas. I am bound to assume that the teachers and local education authorities intended their agreement to be of universal application wherever the standard scales had been adopted, and I believe their view was and is that a sacrifice made in the public interest and in the general interest of the 701 profession should be equally borne by all teachers concerned. I should feel difficulty in recognising any exceptions proposed by local education authorities without consulting the appropriate Burnham Committee on any particular cases submitted to me.
§ Mr. AMMONMay I take it that the right hon Gentleman admits that it is a voluntary abatement, and, therefore, is not prepared to say right off that he will so act without further consultation?
Mr. WOODI think that I have answered the bon Gentleman's question fully, and that if he reads my answer with the same care that I devoted to framing it he will be satisfied.
§ 58. Mr. McENTEEasked the President of the Board of Education whether the provisions of Circular 1,254, in which increases given to a few teachers in central schools with special qualifications are recognised for grant purposes, can now he made to apply to all central school teachers; and, seeing that head teachers' salaries are dependent on the grading of the school and the grading of the school is dependent on the average attendance, whether the Board will now recognise the special higher grading of salaries of head teachers in central schools for grant purposes?
Mr. WOODI regret I cannot accept the suggestion in the first part of the question. For the current financial year, however, the Board have been able to extend the provisions of Circular 1254 so as to provide extra payments in respect of a limited number of assistant teacher posts of special responsibility in central schools which are accepted by the Board for this purpose, and also for a higher grading of all head teachers in such schools. Local education authorities have been informed of the conditions tinder which these extra payments can be recognised for the calculation of grant.
§ Mr. McENTEEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that this is pressing very hardly some of the necessitous areas, and, in consequence of that, will he be prepared to give more generous treatment to these particular areas?
Mr. WOODI am afraid that I cannot give a general pledge of that nature. I have received an application from one 702 area which appears to me to have exceptional conditions, to which I am giving careful consideration.
§ Mr. McENTEEWould the right hon. Gentleman le prepared to give equal treatment to other necessitous areas, if the facts of the application are such as in the one he has received?