§ Mr. PardoeWith your permission, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, I beg to ask leave to present a Petition. Before doing so, I think it right that I should declare an interest since I act from time to time in the capacity of adviser to the National Association of Schoolmasters, on whose behalf the Petition is submitted. The Petition is signed by more than 78,000 school teachers in England and Wales and concerns the recruitment and remuneration of teachers. It sets out that there is manifest and widespread discontent about recruitment and remuneration of teachers and dissatisfaction with the negotiating machinery, which is the Burnham Committee.
1204 The Petition concludes:
Wherefore your Petitioners pray that the honourable House will be pleased to appoint a committee of inquiry to investigate into the causes of the aforementioned discontent and that the committee of inquiry shall be asked to recommend to Her Majesty's Government equitable principles for teachers salaries and reformed negotiating machinery to give effect to those salary principles so that all teachers are accorded a suitable economic status and the needs of the education service are satisfied.And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc.
§ To lie upon the Table.