§ Dr. Phippsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the current level of rate support grant provides for the maintenance of pupil-teacher ratios at the January 1976 levels.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonI have been asked to reply.
The main consequences in terms of national priorities of the 1977–78 rate support grant settlement are set out in Circular 14/76, paragraph 38 of which states that
Calculations of expenditure on teachers' salaries are designed to enable authorities to maintain in the school year 1977–78 their current staffing ratios in primary, secondary and special schools.