§ Mr. Craigenasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the numbers of teachers currently engaged by education authorities in Scotland under circular 991 to assist in areas of urban deprivation and on the flexibility which exists under the scheme to meet changes in priorities.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherThe present distribution of posts for which grants are being made under circular 991 is as follows:
Number Strathclyde 520 Lothian 47 Tayside 30 Central 18 Fife 15 For 1982–83 we asked the education authorities to use the extra teachers to reinforce their urban deprivation policies and to take full account of the needs of ethnic minority children in urban areas, whether or not the schools which they attend also serve deprived areas. Within this general framework the responsibility for deploying the extra teachers to meet local needs rests with the authorities. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities will be consulted shortly about the distribution of posts in 1983–84.