§ 30. Miss Fookesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will encourage local education authoirties to make use of teachers over the retirement age who are able to offer subjects for which there is a shortage of suitably qualified younger members of the profession.
§ Mrs. ThatcherLocal education authorities are quite free to employ after the age of 60, which is the minimum pensionable age, suitable teachers whose services they need and who are willing to continue.
§ Miss FookesI thank my right hon. Friend for that reply. Will she give encouragement to local authorities who do not do so, or are not always willing to do so, to employ such teachers? I have in mind a particular case, not in my own local authority area.
§ Mrs. ThatcherI hope that local education authorities will continue to employ these people, especially in subjects in which there is a shortage of teachers. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising this point.