§ MR. ALFRED HUTTON (Yorks., W.R., Morley)I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether his attention has been called to the statement made by Dr. Macnamara, at the meeting of the London School Board on 29th April, to the effect that nine pupil teachers under the London Board, who passed the recent Queen's Scholarship Examination in the first class, have been unable to secure places in any of the training colleges; and that, while first-class scholars were refused admittance, room was found for second-class scholars; whether the Department will continue to pay the grants for the training of students of lower grade when those of a higher standing were desirous of entering the colleges; whether he is aware that the authorities of the Norwich and Chichester Colleges refused admission to at least one of these students because the applicant was not a member of the Church of England; and whether the Department will take into consideration the advisability of withholding the grant from these colleges until such religious tests are removed?
§ SIR J. GORSTThe Committee of Council have no information as to Mr. Macnamara's statement. They have no power, under the existing Code, to interfere with the discretion of training colleges in the selection of students for admission. The Royal Commission of 1884 recommended, in effect, that no conscience clause should be imposed on existing training colleges, but that no new training colleges should be established without one. Upon this principle successive Governments have since acted down to the present time.