HC Deb 05 August 1965 vol 717 cc1866-7
24. Sir E. Errington

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will seek to make provision for the children of part-time teachers to be accommodated and supervised whilst their parents are engaged in teaching.

Mr. Denis Howell

My right hon. Friend has asked local education authorities to give priority for admission to their nursery schools and classes to the children of qualified married women teachers where this would enable them to return to service. Neither he nor local education authorities have power to make provision for children too young to attend nursery schools or classes.

Sir E. Errington

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there are many places where there are schools but there are no nurseries? With a view to ensuring that we have as many part-time teachers as possible, will the hon. Gentleman consider providing some financial incentive where married teachers have to leave their own children with personal friends?

Mr. Howell

I am not quite sure what the hon. Gentleman means, but I have said repeatedly, and so has my right hon. Friend, that local authorities should be encouraged to establish nursery classes with priorities for teachers' children if this will bring married women back to teaching. Anything that we can do to that end will be done.

Sir E. Errington

Will the hon. Gentleman please answer my question? Will financial assistance be given to teachers to enable them to remunerate friends who will look after their children?

Mr. Howell

Certainly not. We could not give extra financial assistance to married teachers with children. It would be completely contrary to all the principles of administration.

Mr. Maxwell

Is not that a rather complacent reply, having regard to the fact that we are desperately short of teachers and we can only recruit them from among married teachers? As the shortage is really desperate, will my hon. Friend look at this matter again? It may be against some administrative principle, but we need to educate our children and we need teachers to do that.

Mr. Howell

There is nothing complacent about urging married women to return to teaching and urging local authorities to provide special classes for their children when this can be done, but when we are dealing with teachers' salaries, one cannot ask the House of Commons for something to be done which completely undermines collective bargaining. This is what my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham (Mr. Maxwell) and the hon. Member for Aldershot (Sir E. Errington) are asking.

25. Sir E. Errington

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy towards part-time teachers, who have children below school age, having those children with them in classrooms whilst they are teaching.

Mr. Denis Howell

My right hon. Friend regards this as a matter for the local education authority.

Sir E. Errington

Are the Government prepared to give some guidance in a matter of this importance.

Mr. Howell

It would be almost impossible to give generalised guidance, but I am prepared to go a little further and say that if a local education authority feels that such arrangements would not interfere with the general teaching of the class, the Government would be very happy to accept the local authority's assurance on that point.