HC Deb 10 July 1989 vol 156 cc350-1W
Mr. Straw

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers in(a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools have submitted resignations in the last 12 months; what are the comparable figures for each preceding year since 1979, and what percentage of each total these figures represent.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

[holding answer 29 June 1989]: Information on the number of teachers resigning in the last 12 months is not yet available.

The numbers of teachers leaving full-time service in the maintained nursery, primary and secondary sector in England in the years ending March 1979 to March 1987 (the latest year for which data are collected by the Department) are as the follows:

(a) embezzlement, (b) incompetence, (c) criminal convictions other than fraud and (d) other reasons; and what percentage of total practising membership of each profession each annual total represents.

The Attorney-General

The number of barristers disbarred in each of the past five years is as follows:

Year (a) (b) (c) (d) Total Total Number Percentage
1984 0 0 2 0 2 5,203 0.04
1985 0 0 1 1 2 5,367 0.04
1986 0 1 0 1 2 5,494 0.04
1987 0 0 1 0 1 5,642 0.02
1988 0 4 2 2 8 5,902 0.14
Total 0 5 6 4 15

(a) = Embezzlement,

(b) = Incompetence,

(c) = Criminal convictions other than fraud,

(d) = Other reasons.

The information requested on the reasons for solicitors being struck off is not available, but the total number of solicitors struck off in each of the past five years is as follows:

Year Struck off Total Per cent.
1984 18 44,837 0.04
1985 22 46,490 0.05
1986 20 47,830 0.04
1987 32 48,937 0.07
1988 29 50,684 0.06

In the year ending 30 April 1989 a total of 49 solicitors were struck off. Practising certificates are issued during the period 1 November to 31 October and therefore the figure for the number of practising certificates issued in 1989 is not yet available.