§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many qualified teachers in religious education would be needed to ensure that at least one specialist in this subject is on the staff of every primary and secondary school in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldTwenty-three thousand, six hundred and fifty-three in England. There are 4,221 secondary and 19,432 primary schools in England. A special survey of secondary school staffing in 1984 suggests that there were 16,900 full-time and 1,700 part-time secondary teachers who held a post A-level qualification in which religious education was a main or second subject or who had attended an in-service course in RE of at least one term's full-time duration. A similar survey of primary school staffing in 1987 suggests that 16,700 full-time and 2,700 part-time primary school teachers held a post A-level qualification in which religious education was a main or second subject or who had in the previous five years attended an in-service course in RE of at least one term's full-time duration.
The position in Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.