HC Deb 19 June 1984 vol 62 cc135-7
15. Mr. Yeo

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had from parents on the subject of teachers' pay.

Sir Keith Joseph

Since the beginning of the current dispute I have received about 50 letters from parents.

Mr. Yeo

Does my right hon. Friend agree that, apart from the schoolchildren themselves, the groups that are most severely affected by the teachers' strike are single parents and working mothers? Does he agree also that in this instance, as in so many others, the effects of a strike and, indirectly, of trade union action, are to hit at the most disadvantaged groups in society?

Sir Keith Joseph

Yes, Sir. I say again that I do not see any justification for what the teachers have done and are doing in this dispute.

Mr. Holt

Can my right hon. Friend say what he has heard from parents, not only on teachers' pay, but on the performance of teachers in being able to teach their children the basic reading, writing and arithmetic necessary to enable them to earn a living later, as opposed to the current system under which children have peace studies and other nonsense put into their heads?

Sir Keith Joseph

That is a different question and I do not have the answer available. There is a great deal of satisfaction among parents with many schools and there is also a lot of dissatisfaction, not all of which results in letters.

Mr. Madden

If a majority of teachers were to vote in a ballot for the pay award to go to arbitration, what influence would that exert on the Secretary of State?

Sir Keith Joseph

We have had a lot of questions on that, but that does not arise on this question.

Mr. Colvin

Is my right hon. Friend also aware that parents are very worried about the disruption to examinations caused by the teachers' dispute, especially in my constituency, where Hampshire schoolchildren are having it taken out on them by teachers simply because the chairman of the employers' side of Burnham happens to be the chairman of the local education authority? What guidelines will my right hon. Friend's Department give to examiners dealing with examinations taken during the period of the dispute?

Sir Keith Joseph

This is another example of the unjustified nature of the teachers' action. As for young people who feel that they have suffered during an examination process from some external cause, it is open to them to write to the examining body.

Mr. Skinner

How can the Minister justify refusing the teachers the opportunity to get a decent pay award when only a few days ago this same Government decided to appoint a top civil servant at £75,000 a year? If they can find money for top civil servants at that wage, why can they not pay teachers a decent wage as well?

Sir Keith Joseph

The hon. Gentleman missed the long session that we have had during this Question Time on teachers' pay. This question is about letters from parents on the subject.

Mr. Peter Bruinvels

Have the 50 or so parents, in the representations that my right hon. Friend has received, expressed grave concern over the future of their children's examination results? Does he condemn the action of the teachers, which is endangering good examination results throughout the country?

Sir Keith Joseph

I do not have an analysis of the contents of each of the 50 letters, but I know that there is widespread anxiety among parents.

Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

Does the Secretary of State accept that many parents have every sympathy with the teachers and believe that the trouble with the dispute is that it is clearly the Government's responsibility and that they should have offered more money earlier? Had the Government offered a little more money they could have settled the dispute long ago and saved all the disruption in schools. Is the Secretary of State demanding total surrender from teachers?

Sir Keith Joseph

If the hon. Gentleman is correct, those parents share with him and, apparently, with all Members of the Opposition, an indifference to the consequences that would follow, which are higher inflation and higher unemployment.