§ Mr. Pawseyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further action he intends to take to seek to resove the teachers' dispute.
§ Sir Keith JosephI refer my hon. Friend to the statement I made to the House on 22 October column 152.
§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of school teachers has participated in industrial action involving absence from their place of work since 1 January 1985.
§ Sir Keith JosephOf the six school teacher unions which represent a total of 442,000 teachers, only two—the National Union of Teachers and the National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers, with a combined membership of 332,000 — have engaged in strikes in pursuit of their pay claim this year. No figures are available in the Department of the proportion of members who have followed their unions' advice or instructions to join these strikes virtually all of which have been selective and of short duration and so designed as to cause maximum disruption to the schools at minimum cost to the teacher unions involved. However, I understand that some members of these unions have not struck and I respect their decision to put their pupils' interests first.