To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the morale of teachers in local education authority schools.

Teachers have responded admirably to the challenge of raising standards and extending choice, and the Government and the country are grateful to them. The Government's reforms have helped parents to appreciate how much good teaching contributes to their children's education. Effective management at school level is the key to motivating teachers and ensuring that good performance is identified and rewarded.

After the waves of change and legislation, why do Ministers not slow down and, in particular, listen? It would help. Why has the right hon. Gentleman been so rude to parents and so condescending to the profession? Does he not know that he is seen as a posturing and dictatorial figure in education—in fact, as a sort of Mussolini of the school service?

I shall not take that accusation of fascism to heart, Madam Speaker, and nor will you. I suppose that it is the kind of thing that we expect to hear from the hon. Gentleman Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones), who is a parliamentary consultant to the National Union of Teachers. It is always important to know which hon. Member is the parliamentary consultant for the National Union of Teachers because he or she will remain a marked person for the rest of this Parliament.

Since last April, my right hon. and noble Friend Baroness Blatch in the other place, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Forth) and I have been to more than 75 schools, not talking at teachers but listening to them. Perhaps I could give the hon. Member an example. When Baroness Blatch, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Worcestershire and I visited those schools, we were told by a number of primary school teachers that they felt that the national curriculum was a bit overcrowded.

In response to listening to teachers, we announced two Mondays ago that we would introduce over a period a review of the national curriculum. There is no going slow on the Government's schools policy.

On a point of order, Madam Speaker. I am not a parliamentary consultant for the National Union of Teachers.

rose—

Order. I call Mr. Clappison. [Interruption.] Order. How can I hear unless hon. Members are quiet?

Further to that point of order—

Order. There can be no point of order in the middle of Question Time. Perhaps we can deal with the matter at the end of Question Time.

Will my right hon. Friend join me in expressing concern at the destructive effects on the morale of teachers, parents and pupils of the small minority of teachers who undermine testing and water down standards in our schools, as in the case of the small minority of English teachers who want to set aside our rich literary heritage and abandon Shakespeare? Is that a case not so much of morale as of fitness to teach?

I think that we should be grateful to all teachers who work hard. There is always a small group of people who simply do not like the way in which a Government conduct their education policy. It is those people, especially in the National Union of Teachers, who have been waging such a battle against testing. I predict that we will see the Labour party fight hard in an attempt to undermine our education reforms. It was from the Register of Members' Interests that I took the attribution to the hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside.