§ MR. CLANCY (Dublin County, N.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury if it is a statutory requirement, in the case of grants in aid of University colleges in England, that four times the amount is required from local subscriptions before anything is derived from the public funds; and, if so, what is the statute in which it is to be found.
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN, Worcestershire, E.)My right ton. friend has asked me to reply to this Question. There are no such statutory requirements.
§ MR. CLANCYAre there any requirements, statutory or otherwise?
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThere has been such a requirement in regard to the grant in past times. But proposals in regard to the future allocation of the grant have been made by the Committee presided over by Mr. Horsley, and they are now under the consideration of the Government.
§ MR. CLANCYDo I understand that it is proposed that there should be a grant of £100,000 a year to the University colleges mentioned in the Report; and is there any requirement, statutory or otherwise, in regard to this grant.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThere is a proposal by the Committee that the distribution should be governed by the amount of voluntary subscriptions obtained by these colleges. The Government have not yet come to a decision on the subject.
§ MR. JOHN REDMOND (Waterford)Will these amounts appear on the Estimates?
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThey are in the Votes already.
§ MR. JOHN REDMOND£100,000?
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINYes, £100,000 to English colleges; and it is less per head of the population than is devoted to any other division of the United Kingdom.