§ Maria EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is the projected average age of secondary school teachers in 10 years' time; and what assessment he has made of trends in the average age over the next 10 years; [35629]
(2) what is the average age of secondary school teachers in England and Wales. [35630]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe average age of full and part-time secondary teachers in 1996 was 42 and it is expected to stay around this age for the next 10 years. We estimate that, following a slight decrease in 1997 and 1998 due to the increase in the numbers of premature retirements, there will be a gradual increase in the average age of secondary teachers over the next 10 years from just below 42 years to just above.
342W
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many teachers in the Congleton constituency(a) applied for and (b) were granted early retirement owing to ill health during 1997. [35633]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisDuring the calendar year 1997, three teachers, whose last known employment was in a maintained school in the Congleton constituency, were granted early retirement on ill-health grounds. The number of applications for retirement on the grounds of ill-health by constituency cannot be identified centrally.
§ Mrs. Ann WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many teachers voluntarily left the teaching profession before retirement age in the constituency of Congleton during 1997. [35634]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe latest year for which information is available is 1995–96. Provisional data show that, of those recorded as in-service, whether full or part-time, in a maintained school in the Congleton constituency as at 31 March 1995, 24 were out of service one year later, excluding those who retired (on grounds of ill health, age, redundancy or efficiency), died or were barred.