§ 10. Mrs. Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the present shortage of technical teachers in Scotland, Lanarkshire and Hamilton constituency, respectively, at the most recent convenient date.
§ The Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Bruce Millan)More reliable methods of estimating shortages and surpluses of teachers of particular subjects are at present being worked out. Until they are ready, I cannot give the hon. Lady accurate and detailed information.
§ Mrs. EwingIs the hon. Gentleman aware of the concern of headmasters in my constituency and other parts of Scotland about this shortage? Will the Minister consider a special recruitment drive to court back from industry the technical teachers who were lured to go there?
Mr. MilanI know that there are shortages in Lanarkshire in this field, as in many other fields, but the situation varies very much from one part of Scotland to another. The hon. Lady will know that as from next year we are introducing new training arrangements for technical teachers. I very much hope that that will make the profession in this respect more attractive.