Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Lucy Frazer Excerpts
Tuesday 1st March 2016

(8 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. I apologise for interrupting, but that was a very unseemly gesticulation by the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr MacNeil). I remind him of his status in this House as the Chair of a Select Committee. He is an aspiring statesman and must conduct himself accordingly.

Lucy Frazer Portrait Lucy Frazer (South East Cambridgeshire) (Con)
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In response to an earlier question on productivity, my right hon. Friend mentioned the drivers of growth being investment in schools and investment in science and technology. Does he, like me, welcome the Government’s commitment to train 17,500 more teachers in science, technology, engineering and maths, and does he think that there is absolutely no time to waste in recruiting those teachers?

George Osborne Portrait Mr Osborne
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My hon. and learned Friend is absolutely right. It is one of the big national challenges to get more children, particularly more girls, studying STEM subjects at school. The key to that is to get more STEM teachers. We have a series of incentives to drive that forward. Of course through our school freedoms, schools also have the tools to recruit teachers themselves.