TEACHERS' PAY IN WALES

That this House cautiously welcomes the long over-due pay rise of 3.5 per cent for teachers and other public sector workers, many of whom have faced real-term cuts to their wages in recent years; notes, however, that teachers in Wales are concerned as to whether the pay rise applies to them; further notes that schools and local authorities in Wales are anxious about who will be expected to fund this increase, at a time of shrinking school and local government budgets; raises deep concern over the pressure an uplift in teachers' salaries will put on school budgets if no extra funding is granted by HM Treasury; points out that an unintended consequence of the salary uplift could mean fewer teachers if no extra cash is provided; understands that the 3.5 per cent pay rise for teachers will cover teachers in Wales but no information has been provided regarding how this will be funded; acknowledges that the proposed funding stream is further complicated by the fact that the Welsh Government will have the power to set pay and conditions for teachers in Wales from September 2019; believes that it is HM Treasury's responsibility, while teachers' pay is reserved, to provide the additional funding necessary to realise the pay rise; and calls on the Government to take action urgently and provide certainty to the education sector in Wales.