HC Deb 18 January 1994 vol 235 cc491-3W
Mrs. Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what recent discussions he has held with representatives of ambulance staff and Unison in connection with plans for early retirement of ambulance personnel;

newly qualified teachers are undertaken in September of the graduation year and in the following March, the later survey tending to give a more comprehensive picture of employment rates.

Such information as is available from the September 1993 survey about teachers who qualified in 1993 is set out in the following tables. The high non-response rate—34 per cent.—to the survey questionnaire means, however, that the figures are of limited reliability.

Table 1
First destination of teacher training graduates1
Destination at September 1993 Number
Number in teaching posts
(a) In Scotland
Permanent 377
Temporary/supply 507
Contract unknown 39
Total 923
(b) Elsewhere 75
Employed non-teaching 168
Studying 9
Unemployed 405
Unknown 2803
Total output 2,383

(2) what recent discussions he has held with representatives of the national Whitley council to look at provisions for early retirement schemes for ambulance personnel.

Mr. Stewart

[holding answer 17 January 1994]: Early retirement was discussed in the ambulance council of the national Whitley council in October last year.

On 13 January my noble and learned Friend the Minister of State announced a special scheme for this financial year to enable some ambulance staff aged 60 and over to retire early with the full pension rights which they would have accrued by age 65.

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