asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what evidence she has that local authorities are making provision for in-service training of teachers on the scale she envisaged, and for the employment of sufficient replacement teachers to enable the programme to be carried out.

My right hon. Friend has made clear to the local authorities collectively the great priority which the Government attach to an expansion of in-service training, but she has no present evidence of the extent to which this will be reflected in the provision made by individual authorities in the school year 1977–78.