HC Deb 27 October 1987 vol 121 cc216-7W
Mr. Pawsey

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Green Paper on permanent arrangements for settling teachers' pay and conditions will be published.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

I have today laid before Parliament a Green Paper entitled "Teachers' Pay and Conditions: a Consultative Document". Copies are available in the Vote Office.

Mr. Haselhurst

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Interim Advisory Committee on School Teachers' Pay and Conditions will be given its remit.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

I have today written to Lord Chilver, the chairman of the interim advisory committee on school teachers' pay and conditions, a letter which sets. out the issues on which the advice of the committee is sought. The text of my letter is as follows:

Lord Chilver FRS, FEng, CBIM

Chairman

Interim Advisory Committee on

School Teachers' Pay and Conditions 27 October 1987

Dear Henry,

1. I am grateful to you and your colleagues for agreeing to be members of the Interim Advisory Committee. The purpose of this letter is to set out the issues on which the Government now seeks the Committee's advice.

2. As you know, the Committee has a statutory basis, Sub-sections (1) and (4) of Section 2 of the Teachers' Pay and Conditions Act provide that: The Secretary of State shall appoint an Interim Advisory Committee on School Teachers' Pay and Conditions to examine and report to him on such matters relating to the remuneration and other conditions of employment of school teachers in England and Wales as he may refer to them. The Secretary of State may give directions to the Committee with respect to matters referred to them as to considerations to which they are to have regard and financial or other constraints to which their recommendations are to be subject, and as to the time within which they are to report to him.

3. Sub-section (5) of Section 2 provides that the Committee shall give notice of matters referred to the Committee and of any relevant directions to the appropriate associations of local education authorities and any individual local education authority with whom consultation appears desirable, bodies representing the interests of governors of voluntary schools and organisations representing school teachers, so as to afford them a reasonable opportunity of submitting evidence and representations.

4. In accordance with Section 2 of the Teachers' Pay and Conditions Act 1987 I invite the Interim Advisory Committee to examine and report on the following matters subject to the considerations in paragraph 5 and to the constraints in paragraph 6.

  1. (i) What changes should be made in the figures for salaries and allowances, and other details, set out in the Pay section of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 1987?
  2. (ii) Should there be any modifications to the provision for differentials within the pay structure? In particular do the differentials between heads' salaries and deputies' salaries and between heads' and deputies' salaries on the one hand, and other 217 teachers' salaries on the other, reflect appropriately the responsibilities of heads and deputies in primary and secondary schools (including special schools)?
  3. (iii) In the light of the operation of the arrangements in the Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 1987 should there be any modifications to the provision relating to teachers' duties?
  4. (iv) Should there be any change in London area allowances, and should any other regional variations in salaries be introduced taking account of shortages of teachers in particular areas and of particular skills?
  5. (v) Is the existing social priority allowance still appropriate?

5. In considering these matters I direct the Committee under sub-section (4) of Section 2 to have regard to the following considerations.

  1. (i) The Government's view is that school teachers' pay and conditions of service should be such as to enable the maintained school system to recruit, retain and motivate sufficient teachers of the required quality both nationally and at local level within what can be afforded.
  2. (ii) The School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 1987 sets out a new pay structure and a new definition of teachers' duties and working time. It was prepared taking account of work undertaken during the long period of discussions between the local authority associations and the teachers' unions with the assistance of ACAS, the recommendations in the Main Report, and views expressed in consultations with local education authority associations, teacher unions and bodies representing the interests of governors of voluntary schools. The Government does not intend to make major changes to the pay structure consisting of a main professional scale and five rates of incentive allowances or to the provisions relating to teachers' duties and working time for 1988–89.

6. I further direct under sub-section (4) of Section 2 that the Committee's recommendations are to be subject to the following constraints.

  1. (i) The rates of salaries and allowances to be recommended by the Committee shall be in respect of the period 1 April 1988 to 31 March 1989. The Committee may also consider and make recommendations about the London area allowances from 1 July 1987.
  2. (ii) The recommendations of the Committee should be such that they do not cost more than an additional £300 million in the 1988–89 financial year or in later years.

7. My Department will in due course place evidence before the Committee in relation to these matters.

8. I further direct the Committee to report to me the results of their examination of these matters, with their recommendations and such other advice relating to these matters as they think fit, by 31 March 1988. Sub-section 7 of Section 2 of the Act requires me to arrange for your report to be published.

Yours sincerely

KENNETH BAKER

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