§ MR. LAWRENCE (Liverpool, Abercromby)To ask the Secretary to the Board of Education whether vacant places in training colleges for women students in September next are correctly stated amounting to 3, 141, being 1, 941 and 1, 200 in residential and day colleges respectively: whether he is aware that, of the 4, 245 women reaching the qualifying standard for admission, 1, 875 candidates are returned in the recent scholarship list as not desirous of entering any college; and whether there is any probability of a shortage of accommodation for women students.
(Answered by Sir William Anson.) The 1, 877 candidates to whom the hon. Member refers cannot be described as not desirous of entering any college; they have merely not informed the Board whether they desire to enter a training college or not. They were not compelled to supply this information, and the failure to supply it does not warrant the inference which the Question suggests. The Board has further no information as to the number of women desirous of entering a college who have qualified by some means other than that of passing the last King's scholarship examination. In the absence of such information, it is impossible to say for certain whether there will be a deficiency of accommodation for women students in September next, though such a deficiency is extremely probable.