To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teachers he expects to be made redundant in Northern Ireland at the end of the 1991–92 school year.

There are no forecasts for redundancies at the end of the 1991–92 school year.

Does the Minister accept that I find that comment surprising, because we seem to have redundancies every year and there seems to be a surplus of teachers at present? In the light of the apparent surplus, will he give careful consideration to making additional funds available so that teachers approaching retirement age can retire early, thus making space at the bottom of the scale for enthusiastic young teachers who have not had to go through the turmoil of endless revisions and reforms during the past two years? That enthusiasm would certainly be welcome in many schools.

The amount of money made available for the teaching profession in terms of its numbers, the pupil-teacher ratio and the creation of new teacher posts has been admirable in the past few years. This very year, 100 new primary posts were added to the teaching complement. The pupil-teacher ratio is at an all-time high in Northern Ireland. Although I hear what the hon. Gentleman says, his remarks must be put in a wider context.