HC Deb 27 July 1944 vol 402 cc971-2

Lords Amendment: In page 62, line 13, leave out "Regulations made by the Minister shall," and insert: (1) The Minister shall secure that for the purpose of considering the remuneration of teachers there shall be one or more committees approved by him consisting of persons appointed by bodies representing local education authorities and teachers respectively, and it shall be the duty of any such committee to submit to the Minister, whenever they think fit or whenever they may be required by him so to do, such scales of remuneration for teachers as they consider suitable; and whenever a scale of remuneration so submitted is approved by the Minister he may by order.

Mr. Butler

I beg to move, "That this House doth agree with the Lords in the said Amendment."

This is an old friend, in which the House has interested itself before, in rather a dramatic manner. This is the Clause dealing with the method of settling the scales of salaries of teachers. There is nothing particularly remarkable in the redrafting. The original draft was open to the objection that the ultimate responsibility for drafting the scales of salaries would rest with the Minister. Such an arrangement would have been at variance with the present position, whereby the Burnham Committees frame the scales and the Minister accepts or rejects them for the purpose of grant. This new Sub-section retains that principle intact. The value of this is that we hope to continue the traditions of the Burnham Committee and its great record in the same manner as before. Sub-section (2) maintains the practice, whereby the Burnham Committees appoint as their chairmen persons nominated by the Board. This enables us to continue as before the operation of the Burnham machinery.

Question put, and agreed to.

Subsequent Lords Amendments to page 66, line 7, agreed to.