§ Lady Tweedsmuirasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has considered the criticisms contained in a letter to him which the Scottish Schoolmasters' Association have made of the work of the Advisory Council on Education in dealing with its remit on the supply of teachers for secondary schools; and what action he proposes to take in the matter.
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§ Mr. Maclay:I cannot accept the suggestions made in the letter from the Association that the Advisory Council is not an appropriate body to consider the remit given to it or that the proceedings of the Council are open to criticism. Early in March the Council sent a general invitation to the interested bodies to submit observations on its remit and later in the month the Council invited the same bodies to comment on certain specific points which had been suggested from various sources and which the Council was considering. I understand that the Council, which is, of course. free to recommend to me any measures it thinks fit, is at present examining the points in the light of the observations it has received and has not yet reached the stage of submitting a report.