It is right that, in looking at whether a teacher should be allowed to remain in the profession or may have restrictions imposed on their professional registration, the GTC’s disciplinary work deals only with the most serious cases of conduct and competence (”`75 per cent of complaints to GTC’ are dismissed,” August 14).

Most disciplinary matters can - and should - be dealt with locally by employers. More serious cases should be referred to us for initial investigation. Other kinds of referral, for example cautions and convictions, need to reach a comparable level of seriousness to be considered for a hearing. Minor one-off convictions would be less likely to meet this threshold.

Equally, where a teacher’s future career is potentially at stake we must be sure that cases are dealt with as thoroughly as is necessary to achieve a fair outcome that serves the public interest.

Some cases are complex and take time to resolve. We make every effort to deal with cases promptly and have streamlined the processes involved. The time taken to hear cases is reducing steadily and we perform well in comparison with other regulators.

• Alan Meyrick, Registrar, general Teaching Council for England