§ 52. Mr. Gerald BowdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress has been made on measures being taken to tackle teacher shortages in inner London.
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§ Mrs. RumboldMy right hon. Friend accepted in full the recommendations of the Interim Advisory Committee on Teachers' Pay and Conditions. These included an 8.8 per cent. increase in London weighting and a further discretionary supplement of £750 for inner London. My right hon. Friend has also given consent to the Inner London education authority to sell a number of properties and sites to the London teachers housing association. These will provide some 250 homes for teachers in inner London.
Good progress is being made on other measures to tackle teacher shortages. The Government are contributing £159,000 to a London recruitment campaign which will target local returners to teaching. This will be supported by a substantial share of £2 million education support grant in each of the next two years.
The Department will continue to support the inner London LEAs in their efforts to recruit and retain sufficient teachers of the right quality.