HC Deb 12 March 1917 vol 91 cc745-6W
Mr. JOWETT

asked the President of the Board of Education whether, if he obtains a Grant from the Treasury with the object of assisting local education authorities to increase the salaries of teachers, he will include the salaries of uncertificated teachers (Article 50) as well as the salaries of certificated teachers in his scheme of advances, especially in view of the difficulty experienced by the former class of teachers in meeting their expenses under present conditions?

Mr. HERBERT FISHER

I have no intention of ignoring, nor do I think local education authorities should ignore, the position of uncertificated teachers in considering the problem of teachers' salaries, but I am not in a position to make any more definite statement on the subject.

Mr. GINNELL

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what increase of pay it is proposed to give to teachers and assistant teachers in Irish secondary and primary schools corresponding to the increase of £20 a year being given to teachers in England on account of the increased cost of living, in view of the facts that the cost of living has equally increased in Ireland owing to the War and that the pre-war salaries in Ireland were much smaller than in England?

Mr. DUKE

The war bonus Grant has been provided for principal and assistant teachers for service given from 1st July. 1916, up to the end of the War, at the rate of 4s. weekly for teachers whose income from other sources does not exceed £2 per week, and at the late of 3s. per week for teachers whose income from other sources does not exced £3 per week. A proportionate Grant is available in the case of convent national schools paid on the capitation system. The payment of teachers in Irish secondary schools is a matter of arrangement between them and their employers.

Mr. O'DONNELL

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland what is the cause of the delay in paying the teachers' salaries Grant for Irish secondary education; whether, if it is due to non-compliance with the conditions laid down, he will arrange to have the whole amount immediately distributed amongst those schools that have fulfilled the conditions?

Mr. DUKE

The Treasury have consented to the distribution of the teachers' salaries Grant for the current year on the same basis as in the year 1915–16, on condition that the rules governing the distribution of the Grant are revised so as to secure a more satisfactory scheme of distribution in future.