§ 5. Mr. GaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent meetings she has had with the National Union of Teachers to discuss the number of vacancies in secondary schools. [23835]
§ Mr. TimmsMy right hon. Friend meets representatives of the NUT along with other unions from time to time to discuss a wide range of issues.
§ 21. Mr. BaronTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent meetings she has had with the Association of Colleges to discuss the number of(a) teachers and (b) lecturers in further education. [23853]
§ 23. Mr. SimmondsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent meetings she has had with the Association of Colleges to discuss the numbers of(a) teachers and (b) lecturers in further education. [23857]
§ Margaret HodgeThe Secretary of State met David Gibson from the Association of Colleges (AoC) on 14 November 2001 and also addressed the AoC Conference on 20 November. Additionally, my colleague John Healey and I have each met twice with representatives from the AoC on 12 July and 10 October and 15 June and 31 July, respectively.
Discussions with AoC representatives are wide reaching, including recruitment and retention difficulties for lecturers in some subject areas and initiatives such as the Teaching Pay Initiative, Golden Hellos, Student Loan Write Off and Training Bursaries, which the Government have introduced to attract new staff to the profession and reward and retain excellent teachers and lecturers.