§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the estimated total cost of threshold pay is in 2001–02. [19352]
§ Mr. TimmsMy Department paid over £400 million in threshold special grant to local authorities in the 2000–01 school year. In addition to continuing payments for teachers already on the upper pay scale, the cost of threshold pay in the 2001–02 financial year will depend on the number of teachers who cross the threshold this school year. That will not be known until the new year.
§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations she has received on the cost to schools and LEAs of threshold pay. [19339]
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§ Mr. TimmsThe Department provides special grant funding to meet the extra salary costs associated with teachers crossing the threshold. This arrangement is widely regarded as satisfactory.
§ Mrs. CaltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 20 November 2001,Official Report, column 259W, on threshold allowance awards, how many teachers received threshold back pay in the 2000–01 financial year in each local authority; how many teachers have paid higher rates of tax because their threshold back pay was held up to the 2001–02 financial year in each local authority; and what was (a) the average, (b) the shortest and (c) the longest time between head teacher and assessor approvals of threshold by each local authority. [19250]
§ Mr. TimmsThe information requested has not been collected centrally and could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.