55. Mr. TREVELYAN THOMSONasked the President of the Board of Education whether it is the policy of the Government to see that all local education authorities pay their teachers in accordance with the Burnham scale of salaries; and, if so, what steps does he propose to take to ensure this being done?
§ Lord E. PERCYAs regards the first part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to my published letter of 15th June last to Lord Burnham, and as regards the second part, to my reply of 26th November to the right hon. Member for Newcastle Central (Mr. Trevelyan), a copy of which I am sending him.
§ Lord E. PERCYI do not think I can make any announcement on that subject. At least as everyone who is in touch with this question knows, I have ever since the Burnham Award been taking steps of this kind.
§ 59. Mr. CHARLES CROOKasked the President of the Board of Education whether the Board accepted the allocation of scales of salaries to local education authorities which were agreed by the Burnham Committee; whether Essex was allocated Scale III in the schedule of such scales; and whether he has proposed that allocation should be varied without reference to the arbitrator or the Burnham Committee?
§ Lord E. PERCYAs regards the first part of the question, the Board accepted the allocation of scales for the purpose of their recognition for grant of the expenditure involved thereby. The answer to the second part is in the affirmative. The answer to the third part is that I made no such proposal, as I was only concerned to determine whether the action taken by the authority was or was not so unreasonable as to call for any adjustment of the grant.
§ Mr. COVEIs that decision not a violation of an arbitral award arrived at by agreement? And I would like to ask whether the Government is now going to support decisions of an independent arbitrator such as Lord Burnham?
§ Lord E. PERCYMy decision was one taken on my responsibility to this House for the distribution of grants to local authorities voted by this House, and anything I do in discharge of that responsibility cannot be a violation of an arbitral award.
§ Mr. COVEWhen an award is arrived at by a process of arbitration, should it not be put into effect?
§ Lord E. PERCYThe hon. Member knows that, or should know, as I have already stated that I have consistently taken steps to that effect ever since the award was issued.
§ 60. Mr. PALINasked the President of the Board of Education why he has advised the local education authority for Essex and the teachers of the county to enter into local negotiations to determine their scale or scales of salaries, having regard to the fact that Lord Burnham's arbitral award was accepted by the Board of Education and is of national application?
§ Lord E. PERCYI have nothing to add to my published letter to the authority.
§ 61. Mr. PALINasked the President of the Board of Education whether he has recommended the local education authority for Essex and the teachers to consider a settlement of their salary dispute on the basis of more than one scale for the area; and, if so, whether there is any provision in Lord Burnham's arbitral award of the agreement between the two panels of the Standing Joint Committee on the Salaries of Teachers for such an arrangement?
§ Lord E. PERCYThe answer to the second part of the question is in the negative. With regard to the first, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given to-day to the question put by my hon. Friend the Member for East Ham North (Mr. Charles Crook).