§ Mr. HurstTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the responses of teachers to the consultation on those aspects of the Green Paper, "Teachers: meeting the challenge", dealing with performance-related pay; and if he will make a statement. [107262]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe consultation on the Teacher's Green Paper ran from December 1998 until March 1999. The results of the consultation exercise on the Green Paper were published on 8 July 1999. A leaflet, "Teachers: taking forward the challenge of change", was delivered to all schools, summarising the outcomes and explaining how the proposal would be taken forward. Copies of more detailed analysis of the consultation responses were placed in the Libraries of the Houses of Parliament.
Although the formal consultation period on the Green Paper has closed, discussions have been on-going with key stakeholders. The proposals to reform teachers' pay were outlined in further detail in the written evidence which the DFEE submitted to the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) last autumn. The STRB's report, 182W published 1 February 2000, backed the Government's proposals. The Secretary of State will consult on its recommendations and announce arrangements for the new pay structure during spring 2000, for introduction in September 2000.