§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what(a) current and (b) future shortages of qualified teachers he has identified and in which secondary school subjects; and if he will indicate the extent of the shortage. [33081]
§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonMeasured at national level there are no significant shortages of qualified teache's in Scotland in either the primary or secondary sectors. At local level, individual vacancies can sometimes be hard to fill for a range of reasons. Teacher education institutions are encouraged to work closely with education authorities to match supply to demand at local level. For the secondary sector, the Scottish Office Education Department recommends that up to three quarters of the annual intake to teacher training courses should be in specific subjects which have been agreed with education authorities as priorities in supply terms. Statistical bulletin Edn/B7/1995/2, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, sets out the most recent information on demand for and supply of teachers.