§ Viscountess ASTORasked the President of the Board of Education whether, although it is stated in the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act, 1919, that a person shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage from the exercise of any public function or from carrying on any civic profession or vocation, women 1396W teachers on marriage are being dismissed by local education authorities, and are thus being prevented from serving the number of years necessary to qualify for a pension under the School Teachers' Superannuation Act, 1918; whether, seeing that the dismissal of married women teachers and the refusal to reappoint them makes of no effect Section 1 (3) of the School Teachers' Superannuation Act, 1918, which allows married women teachers to qualify for a pension on 20 years' service if they return to the teaching service, what steps is he prepared to take in order to prevent married women teachers from being debarred by local education authorities from qualifying for pensions under the Superannuation Act, 1918?
Mr. H. LEWISI am aware that some local education authorities are unwilling to employ married women as teachers, and consequently a married woman must serve in the area of some other authority which is willing to employ married women, if she is to qualify for a pension under the School Teachers (Superannuation) Act, 1918. Section 1 (3) of that Act makes a discrimination in favour of married women by making it easier for them to qualify for a pension, but I have no power to compel local education authorities to employ married women.