§ 14. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local authorities have undertaken this year special campaigns to recruit married women teachers; and with what result.
§ Mr. CroslandSo far, 41 local education authorities have informed me that they are planning special advertising campaigns this year to supplement my national campaign, and 70 authorities have taken up publicity material supplied by my Department. It is still too early to measure the results; I expect to have some interim figures available by the end of June.
§ Mrs. ShortI know my right hon. Friend's great concern about the need to recruit additional teachers. Will he keep the House informed of the response to his circular on nursery classes, and will he bear in mind also the need to provide short training courses for those married women who are so recruited? Further, to encourage recruitment, will he undertake to have a word with his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the problem of taxation for married women who come forward to teach?
§ Mr. CroslandThe answer to the first two questions is, "Yes, Sir". The answer to the third is a more conditional "Yes, Sir." I am willing at all times, and on all matters, to have words with my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, but I must point out that there is some misunderstanding about the amount of salary that actually goes in tax. I have had a lot of tables prepared showing how particular categories of either full-time or part-time married women who return fare under the tax system, and few pay anything like the amount of tax that they think they do.
§ Sir E. BoyleIs it not a fact that one of the most helpful measures taken on 682 the tax side from the point of view of women teachers who are wives of professional men was the decision by the previous Government to raise the Surtax level? Would not the right hon. Gentleman agree that one of the wisest decisions has been not to reverse that very wise step?
§ Mr. CroslandNo, Sir.