Oral Answers to Questions — Education – in the House of Commons at 2:30 pm on 2 March 2015.
Caroline Dinenage
Conservative, Gosport
2:30,
2 March 2015
What assessment she has made of the potential benefits to pupils of the expansion of the Troops to Teachers programme.
Edward Timpson
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education
Service leavers have a wealth of skills and experiences that are transferable to classrooms, including teamwork, leadership—[Interruption.]
John Bercow
Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, Speaker of the House of Commons, Speaker of the House of Commons, Chair, Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, Chair, Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
Order. There is very discordant noise in the Chamber. A very respected Minister, Mr Timpson, is endeavouring to answer a question and I think pupils in the average classroom around the country would behave rather better. I remind Mr Sheerman, in all gentleness and charity, that he is something of an elder statesman in this House and we look to him to set an example to other colleagues.
Edward Timpson
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Anyone would imagine that there is an election on the horizon.
There are 84 trainees on the Troops to Teachers scheme and the expansion of the programme allows even more talented service leavers to make an important contribution to our children’s education.
Caroline Dinenage
Conservative, Gosport
My Gosport Constituency has very strong links to the armed forces, particularly in Navy engineering. Does my hon. Friend agree that schemes such as Troops for Training can only help to spread expertise to students in my area?
Edward Timpson
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education
I absolutely agree. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently visited Bristol to see for herself the latest cohort being trained, and she was hugely impressed by both their calibre and their commitment. Along with my hon. Friend Caroline Dinenage, I strongly encourage schools in Gosport and elsewhere to contact the university of Brighton to secure a trainee for this September and benefit from the next tranche of Troops to Teachers.
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Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
