§ Mr. Kilfedderasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) whether he will consider supplying a particular school return to the Royal Ulster Constabulary for investigation where there is evidence available to the police that teachers from a school absented themselves for the purposes of taking part in a form of political protest while continuing to receive full pay;
(2) whether he has any proposals for improving the accuracy of school returns, and the checking of them, particularly where teachers absent themselves from school as a form of political protest.
§ Mr. John PattenNo. Where school returns show that teachers absented themselves from school for an unauthorised reason, the Department of Education for Northern Ireland makes an appropriate deduction from the salaries of such teachers. If evidence about absences were submitted to the Department which varied from information given on the school return, the matter would be investigated by the Department.
The Department of Education for Northern Ireland issued a circular in 1980 to employing authorities directing attention to the need to ensure that full and detailed information is entered on the monthly school returns which record teachers' attendances and absences. No further action is proposed. In relation to unauthorised absences in the month of May 1981, appropriate deductions from salary will be made in 246 cases, and more than 140 cases are still under consideration.