Teachers' Pay (Hansard, 20 December 1974)

§ Mr. William Ross

The report was received late on Tuesday 17th December and was sent for printing as Command Paper Number 5848. I hope that copies will be on sale at Her Majesty's Stationery Office within the next few days. Copies in typescript have meanwhile been placed in the Library and will be made available to Members through the Vote Office.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science and I are deeply grateful to Lord Houghton and the members of his committee for preparing such a thorough and detailed document in such a relatively short period.

Recommendations are made for varying increases in salary scales and responsibility allowances to take effect from 24th May. These would increase the total amount paid to teachers in Scotland by 27 per cent. The average increase for primary teachers would be 28 per cent. The corresponding figures for secondary teachers and teachers in higher and further education would be 26 per cent. and 24 per cent. respectively.

The committee estimates that the additional cost in Scotland in a full year would be £41 million as a result of the immediate increases and £47 million in the longer term when all the suggested structural changes have been implemented.

The Government set up the committee on 24th May because they accepted that the pay of teachers had fallen behind. Teachers were one of the very few groups for whom special treatment was justified. We welcome the report which Lord Houghton and his colleagues have now presented and accept its implications for expenditure. We believe it is just and fair and is a recognition of the contribution which teachers make to society.

Copies of the report are being sent today to the negotiating bodies. I am sure they will want to reach agreement as soon as possible on the implementation of the report, and it is for them to consider whether any immediate interim increase should be paid while negotiations proceed.