HC Deb 23 April 1985 vol 77 cc424-5W
20. Mr. Eggar

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on progress in the discussions about the linking of the assessment of teachers' performance with pay increments.

Sir Keith Joseph

The teachers' panel rejected the link proposed by the employers at a meeting of the Burnham joint working party on salary structure on 5 December 1984. The teachers' panel have since refused to take part in further discussions in that forum but, following on from the meeting I had with the National Union of Teachers on 21 January, officials from the Department had a useful exploratory meeting last week with representatives of the teacher unions to discuss the principle and potential uses of performance appraisal.

27. Mr. Nellist

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the current teachers' pay claim.

29. Mr. Barnett

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on teachers' pay.

40. Mr. Andrew MacKay

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a further statement on the teachers' pay dispute.

Sir Keith Joseph

I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Billericay (Mr. Proctor), the hon. Member for Cambridgeshire, North-East (Mr. Freud), my hon. Friend the Member for Christchurch (Mr. Adley), and the hon. Members for Colne Valley (Mr. Wainwright) and Manchester, Blackley (Mr. Eastham).

32. Mrs. Rumbold

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will call together the unions and employers under his chairmanship to seek to resolve the current teachers' pay dispute.

Sir Keith Joseph

No. The machinery for determining school teachers' pay is the Burnham primary and secondary committee, which has an independent chairman. As my hon. Friend may know, the management panel wrote to the teachers' panel on 22 April proposing an early meeting of the full Committee preceded by informal talks.

35. Mr. Flannery

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has received any further representations from any of the teachers' unions regarding their present salary demand.

Sir Keith Joseph

Since 19 March I have received just one letter on this subject from the associations at national level as well as numerous letters from individual teachers and local union representatives.

36. Mr. Stern

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to introduce legislation to change to a two-tier system for teachers' pay, a minimum agreed nationally, topped up with locally agreed supplements.

Sir Keith Joseph

In accordance with the Remuneration of Teachers Act 1965, the Burnham Primary and Secondary Committee transmits recommendations on teachers' pay to the holder of my office who must, by order, direct that teachers shall be paid accordingly, but employers have a measure of discretion in deciding which scale shall apply to the individual teacher. I have no plans to change the present system.

43. Mr. Peter Bruinvels

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received alleging a party political campaign within the current teachers' dispute.

Sir Keith Joseph

I have received no such representations although I have seen reports that the two largest teacher unions intend to bias their disruptive action against Conservative-controlled authorities. Such an approach will not cause the Government to shift its position.