§ Mr. CHARLES DUNCANasked the President whether he is aware that as long ago as November, 1909, a specially convened Conference representing all the teachers in English and Welsh schools, elementary, secondary, and technical, voted unanimously for the establishment of a representative registration council, and the institution of an effective register in accordance with the Act of 1907; whether, in response to this expression of the deliberate opinion of the whole of the teaching profession, any steps have yet been taken to establish such a register; and, if not, when he will be prepared to take such steps?
§ Mr. TREVELYANFrom the wording of his question I think the hon. Member is unaware that some of the more important associations of teachers who attended the Conference referred to in the question and voted for the establishment of a register in accordance with the scheme put forward at the Conference did so subject to 1763W observations and limitations set forth in Memoranda, which were handed to the Chairman of the Conference and transmitted to the Board. These Memoranda were found to contain strong differences of view on crucial points in connection with the scheme. On consideration of these Memoranda and of the scheme, it was found that., in addition to the divergence of views held by various associations, various important points in connection with the scheme itself and affecting its practical outcome had been left undetermined, and in some instances had not been dealt with. It was apparently assumed at the Conference that the Board of Education would in some way find a solution for the difficulties, or that I should formulate some scheme of my own, in general accordance with the proposals of the Conference, that would reconcile the divergencies of view and produce a complete and workable plan. The proposals of the Conference have been carefully considered, together with the Memoranda, in the light of the difficulties which had impaired the success of the previous register, and it became apparent that further examination and discussion by the authors of the scheme was necessary before any satisfactory solution could be regarded as really practicable, and therefore before any President of the Board could properly take the responsibility of proposing an Order in Council under the Act. As I stated on 3rd April, further Conferences have been held at the Board's offices recently for the purpose of further discussion; and a Memorandum of these discussions and of the agreement which it is now hoped has been reached with regard to such of the earlier proposals as were either in dispute or undetermined is being prepared for circulation to the various associations concerned; and it is hoped that it may in this way be possible to arrive at reliable information as to whether a solution satisfactory to the various main branches of the teaching profession and likely to be useful to the profession and to education generally can now be regarded as having been reached. I will lay papers on the Table so soon as any important stage of further progress is reached and in the meantime I would say that the matter is being pressed forward as speedily as possible.