§ Mr. Dempseyasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the current estimated annual cost of teachers' salaries, the amount borne by the Exchequer, and the amount borne by local rates;
(2) if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT figures showing the estimated cost to the Exchequer and local authorities, respectively, of the application for a 25 per cent. salary increase by the Scottish teachers, the 15 per cent. increase recommended by the National Joint Council for Teachers Salaries, and the proposed increase of 13 per cent.
§ Mr. RossThe information is in the table set out below. It is not possible to give separate figures for the cost falling on the Exchequer and that falling on local rates because the expenditure of education authorities on teachers' salaries, as on most other educational items, is assisted by general grant, which is calculated by reference to the total relevant expenditure of educational and other services. General grant, however, currently amounts to about 60 per cent. of total estimated relevant expenditure. In addition the Exchequer contributes, under Exchequer Equalisation Grant about 19 per cent. of expenditure which would otherwise be borne by the rates.
Estimated Annual Cost of Teachers' Salaries* Current Estimated Annual Cost Cost of 25 per cent. Increase Cost of 15 per cent. Increase Cost of 13 per cent. Increase £51.8m. £12.9m. £7.7m. £6.7m. *Salaries of teachers directly covered by salaries regulations, i.e., certificated whole-time teachers in education authority schools and whole-time teachers in further education centres.
§ Mr. Brewisasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what reduction his proposed salary scales represent for Scale 4 graduate teachers in their 3rd, 4th and 5th year of teaching, respectively, compared with the salary scales agreed by the Scottish Joint Council; and by how much a year such teachers would be better off in the English Burnham Scales.
§ Mr. RossThe Answer to the first part of the Question is £40, £60 and £60; to the second part £100, £120 and £90. With regard to the second part some 95 per cent. of graduates in maintained schools in England and Wales teach in 23W secondary schools so the more relevant comparison is with the Scottish Scale 3. The figures would then be Nil, £40 and—£10 respectively.
§ Mr. Brewisasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the difference between the salary awarded by the Scottish Joint Council to Scale 5 teachers of technical subjects in their third, fourth and fifth years and the salary imposed by his department; and what this represents in percentage reduction.
§ Mr. RossThe information is in the following table:
Service Year Amounts recommended by Scottish Joint Council Amounts proposed in draft regulations Difference Percentage Reduction £ £ £ 3rd 830 810 20 2.4 4th 880 840 40 4.5 5th 960 870 90 9.4 The disproportionate reductions between the third, fourth and fifth points of the scale in the draft regulations and those in the scale recommended by the Council arise because the draft scales are based, as nearly as may be, on a 13 per cent. increase, whereas the Council's scale, although providing generally for a 14.35 per cent. increase, gives higher increases at these points.