§ MR. LOUGH (Islington, W.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he is aware that, owing to the refusal of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge to grant to women degrees corresponding to their courses of study, and the opening by the University of Dublin of all its courses of study, degrees, prizes, fellowships, and other offices to women, and the agreement between the three Universities that students educated at one University are taken in by another as of the status to which they are entitled by their educational exercises in the first, and that this includes the conferment of degrees known as ad eundem by the second University on all applicants applying to it as graduates of the first, since 1904 nearly 200 Englishwomen from Oxford and Cambridge have gone to Dublin for their degrees in accordance with this arrangement; and whether, having regard to these facts, he will take steps, by legislation or otherwise, to induce the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge to grant to women the degrees to which their educational proficiency may entitle them.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.I understand the present position is that ladies get education at Oxford and Cambridge and pay their fees for the degrees at Trinity College, Dublin. That seems to be a good arrangement for Trinity College. As regards Oxford and Cambridge, the Government have no power of offering advice to these great and learned bodies, and I certainly cannot give any pledge that legislation will be introduced.