MR. ALFRED BUTTON (York, W.R., Morley)I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether it is true, as stated by the Bishop of Rochester in October last, that the Education Department has sanctioned a scheme for a new training college for teachers, to which Nonconformists are to be refused admittance as resident students and only offered a limited number of places as day students, the whole institution to be under the control of the Anglican Church and under the management of Miss Bishop; and whether, having regard to the fact that there is already ample accommodation in Church colleges to supply the demand for trained teachers in Church 38 schools, and also to the principle laid down by the Department that all new colleges should accept the conscience clause and that all applicants for admission should be on an equal footing, he will give an assurance that no such scheme as that mentioned by the Bishop of Rochester will be sanctioned by the Department?
§ SIR J. GORSTThe Education Department have sanctioned a scheme for a Residential Church of England Training College, on condition that provision is made for at least an equal number of day students, who are to be admitted under a strict conscience clause. The Committee of Council do not admit that the accommodation in Church colleges is already sufficient. With regard to the latter part of paragraph (2), the Department have never refused a grant to a new training college on the ground that it had not a conscience clause.