§ MR. ERRINGTONasked the Vice President of the Council, What progress, if any, is being made by the various medical bodies towards carrying out the "conjoint scheme" of examination; and, whether in his opinion the time has not come when Her Majesty's Government should itself undertake to reform the whole system of licensing for medical degrees?
§ VISCOUNT SANDONWe have been informed by the President of the Medical Council that negotiations have been carried on at various meetings of a conference held in London, under the presidency of Sir James Paget, between all the medical licensing bodies in the kingdom—that is to say, the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, London, and Durham, and the Corporations of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Apothecaries' Company—for the purpose of forming one Examining Board for England under Clause 19 of the Medical Act. Conditions have been agreed to by the representatives of all the Bodies, and they await the consideration and consent of the Bodies themselves. There is every reasonable ground for hoping that this consent will shortly be obtained. In Ireland also a demand has been made within the last year to form a united Examining Board, but this demand has hitherto failed. From Scotland we have no evidence that the formation of a General Board is contemplated. In the circumstances mentioned above, I think the hon. Gentleman will see that it would be premature for me on the part of the Government to express an opinion as to the necessity for undertaking the reform of the whole system of licensing for medical degrees.