§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if he is aware that some local education authorities have announced that they will not recruit more than a stipulated number of additional teachers this year; how many local education authorities have made such a decision; what is the sum total of all their decisions; and how this compares with the number of trained teachers who will emerge from the teacher training colleges and universities.
§ Miss BaconI have no detailed information about the decisions so far reached, but I have no reason to suppose that teachers leaving the colleges of education and universities will fail to find employment.
§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take action to ensure that local education authorities employ all available teachers and do not use the Government's squeeze on local authority spending or his Department's quota system to slow down teacher recruitment.
§ Mr. Gordon WalkerIt is for local authorities to decide how best to respond to the Government's request for economies in expenditure. I have already made it plain that I should like them to preserve the training and recruitment of teachers at the expense, if necessary, of26W other parts of the service. The quota system is intended to ensure fair distribution and not to limit the total number of teachers available for employment.