HC Deb 16 December 1965 vol 722 cc1434-5
9. Mr. Ioan L. Evans

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, what action is to be taken to assist the Birmingham City Local Education Authority to deal with the shortage of teachers in the city.

Mr. Crosland

The shortage of teachers is national, and not confined to Birmingham. Direct responsibility for school staffing rests with the local education authorities. I can best reinforce the determined efforts which the Birmingham authority is already making by increasing the size of the national teaching force, and by ensuring that Birmingham and other shortage areas, receive their fair share of it.

Mr. Evans

I thank my right hon. Friend for that reply, and for his action, but does he realise that if we are to improve and expand the educational service there will be a great need to recruit many more teachers. Would he not agree that from the point of view of national priorities, it is far better to spend more on training teachers than on the Territorials?

Mr. Crosland

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend about the urgency of the matter, but it is as well not to be too pessimistic about what has already been accomplished. For example, the output from colleges of education next year will be 20,000, as compared with 16,500 this year. This is an indication of the very major efforts being made to satisfy the object my hon. Friend has in mind.

Sir E. Boyle

But could not the right hon. Gentleman take another step, which is to see that the £5 million worth of training college building projects held back for six months are started as soon as possible after that? Is he aware that many of us were deeply disappointed with his Answer on that subject last week.

Mr. Crosland

Of course we should like to re-establish the investment programme for colleges of education, as for other things, as soon as the economic situation allows—there is no question of that at all—but I should not like to give the impression that this depends solely on investment in more teacher-training colleges. The fact is that there are many more urgent things which we can do and are trying to do to increase the supply of teachers.