Education secretary Estelle Morris has today announced that all teachers required to register with the General Teaching Councils in England and Wales will be paid a free standing allowance of £33, the cost of registration.

Forum Response: National Union of Teachers

Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, told ePolitix.com: "I am delighted that the education secretary has agreed to our demands and will now ensure that every teacher in England and Wales will now receive the full £33.

"The NUT's continued pressure has caused the education secretary to change her intended method of making the payment which would have unlawfully discriminated against part-time and supply teachers, the majority of whom are women."