§ 11.13 a.m.
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question on the Order Paper standing in the name of my noble friend Lord Elton.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all teachers in colleges of 1624 education who are rendered redundant following their merger with other institutions by direction of the Secretary of State will be compensated for their redundancy at a level determined by the Colleges of Education (Compensation) Regulations 1975 (S.I. 1975 No. 1092).
§ The MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT of EDUCATION and SCIENCE (Lord Donaldson of Kingsbridge)My Lords, any teacher in a college of education who is made redundant as a result of a direction given by the Secretary of State under the Further Education Regulations 1975 may seek compensation under the Colleges of Education (Compensation) Regulations 1975. Whether or not compensation is payable in a particular case depends on the circumstances.
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Donaldson of Kingsbridge, for that reply. Would I be right in thinking that a direction given by the Secretary of State, the words which the noble Lord has used, would include a situation where a college amalgamates with another college, and then a lecturer finds that he or she is redundant? Secondly—and this I know is something which is worrying the teaching profession—would this similarly cover the situation where a college amalgamates with another institution and subsequently, let us say two or three years later, a lecturer finds that he or she is redundant?
§ Lord DONALDSON of KINGSBRIDGEMy Lords, the answer to the first part of the question is, "Yes", and to the second part, "No". I think perhaps the second part needs a little explanation. The compensation is designed to deal with a change in Government policy affected by the birthrate and the lack of pupils coming forward for teaching and, therefore, the necessity to reduce the number of teachers being trained. I think this is common ground between all of us. It was thought that this was not the teachers' fault and, therefore, in so far as there is redundancy, special rather than the normal terms should be given. The view of the Government—and I think noble Lords will agree with this—is that this is all right as a result of direction of the Secretary 1625 of State's change. If the change is a normal one happening later, then it would not apply. Of course, if there were a further intervention by the Secretary of State, it would start up again under the Crombie Rules.