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Education and Inspections Bill

We occasionally have discussions with the NUT, but everyone must acknowledge and accept that there is a discipline attached to our social partnership. We sit equally around the table with partners in the work force agreement monitoring group, and they agree with our position on the issues—for example, we collectively gave evidence to the statutory School Teachers Review Body during September—which means that they have much greater access to us as Ministers and more detailed conversations with us. It does not mean that we never talk to the NUT and NAHT; I meet them regularly, with others, to discuss issues such as behaviour, but not in the same detail as with our social partners.