§ Lieut.-Colonel Sir S. HOAREasked the President of the Board of Education, whether he will instruct the Burnham Committee to reconsider their Report, and to base their future recommendations upon the principle of equal pay for equal work for all teachers, whether men or women?
§ Mr. FISHERI see no sufficient grounds for giving such an instruction as the hon. and gallant Member suggests, even if it were proper for me to do so.
§ Mr. SHORTasked the President of the Board of Education, whether the increased cost of teachers' salaries, arising out of the proposals of Lord Burnham's Committee, will be borne by the Treasury or the local authorities; if the latter, whether protests have been lodged by many local authorities; and, if so, whether he proposes to make the extra charge a national one.
§ Mr. FINNEYasked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to resolutions of the Staffordshire County Council, and other education committees, protesting against the whole of the cost consequent on increasing minimum salaries of school teachers under the terms of the Burn-ham Committee being put on the rates; that, as the need for the increase in teachers' salaries was due to national and not local causes, it is unfair to impose the whole of the burden on the local ratepayers, especially in areas having large 559W child populations and comparatively small assessable values; that the tendency of high rates is to discourage, diminish, and extinguish any zeal for education, and asking that the Treasury make provision for the amount required in favour of local authorities concerned to cover the extra cost in the coming financial year; and whether he will take the necessary steps to bring this into effect?
§ Mr. FISHERIn the calculation of grants according to the formula contained in the Board's Regulations, three-fifths of the Local Education Authority's expenditure on the salaries of teachers in Public Elementary Schools is one of the factors. Local Education Authorities have represented to me that next year, when their expenditure upon the salaries of these teachers will increase considerably in consequence of the adoption of the proposals of Lord Burnham's Committee, an undue burden will be placed upon the rates because the grant in respect of the additional expenditure will hot be paid until the year 1921–22. The question whether it is desirable or necessary to alter the system on which grants in aid of Elementary Education are paid, is one which I can hardly discuss by way of Question and Answer, and I can only say that all the relevant considerations are being carefully examined.