§ Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the salary scales for teachers in primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, 1956, recognise the degree of Bachelor of Education of a Scottish university as entitling the holder to the good honours degree addition of £50, that, whereas in Scotland the starting salary of a certificated teacher with this additional qualification is £575 per annum, in England it is £650 per annum; that, whereas in Scotland the minimum 18W salary of such a teacher is £985 per annum, in England it is £1,075, and that, as a result of these differences, the financial loss incurred by teachers in Scotland who hold an ordinary degree and the degree of Bachelor of Education with first or second class honours is considerable; and whether he will take steps to have the Scottish degree recognised for salary purposes in Scotland as it is already recognised in England.
§ Mr. MaclayI am aware that a teacher in England and Wales who holds the degree of Bachelor of Education of a Scottish university is entitled to an addition to his salary of £50. In the absence of a recommendation from the National Joint Council for a similar provision in Scotland, I do not regard this particular difference as justifying me in departing from the long-standing principles governing the salary structure of teachers in Scotland to which I referred in the letter which I wrote to the hon. and learned Member on 4th February.