asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the causes of the shortage of teachers of mathematics and science in Scotland.

The causes are complex, but one important element is that there have been greatly increased numbers of such qualified persons required by industry in recent years and that the numbers trained have fallen short of the present opportunities of employment open to them.

Does my right hon. Friend hold out any hope of a cessation of any of the causes?

We hope that industry will not want fewer scientific people, and we are hopeful that more scientific people will be trained.