§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will estimate the average time taken from beginning consideration of placing a teacher on List 99 to a decision being made. [82489]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisIn the year 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999, my Department concluded 448 misconduct cases. The average time taken to conclude those cases was nine months. In some of these cases the nature of the misconduct was not serious enough to consider placing the person on List 99. There can be enormous differences in the complexity of cases referred for consideration. Some straightforward cases are concluded very quickly while other, more difficult, cases take substantially longer.
§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment on how many cases decisions are currently outstanding as to whether a teacher should be placed on List 99. [82490]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisMy Department's Teachers' Misconduct Team currently has 451 cases which have been referred for consideration. In 159 of these cases the individual has been informed that the Secretary of State is considering placing them on List 99. In the remaining 292 cases, my Department is collecting information before coming to a decision as to whether List 99 action should be considered.