asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teachers in maintained schools have left the service in each of the past five years; and what these figures represent as a percentage of the total number of teachers in maintained schools in these years.

The information in respect of full-time qualified teachers in maintained primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, for the last five years for which figures are available, is as follows:

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what evidence he bases his statement, made to the Council of Local Education Authorities Conference in Cardiff on 16th July 1975, that the number of teachers leaving the service had fallen as a result of the Houghton pay award.

In that speech I said that recent salary increases and improved pay structure had had the effect of producing a marked reduction in the number of resignations of teachers. Returns received from local education authorities since May 1975 show that resignations due to take effect at the end of the summer term represent about 7·6 per cent. of the teaching force in the maintained primary and secondary schools compared with 9·7 per cent. last year. It is a reasonable assumption that most of the change is attributable to the recommendations made by the Houghton Committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the present estimate of the number of teachers who will be employed in September 1975; and what was the number in 1974.

Local education authorities' returns show that they expect to be employing about 449,700 qualified teachers in the maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in September 1975: the number employed in September 1974 was about 442,000. Both figures include the full-time equivalent of part-time teachers but exclude teachers seconded for in-service training for a year or more.