§ 25. Mr. Chetwyndasked the Minister of Education what changes he proposes in the award and conditions of State scholarships.
§ Sir D. EcclesI would refer the hon. Member to the statement I made during last Tuesday's debate.
§ Mr. ChetwyndIs the Minister yet in a position to give details of the revised assessment scales? Can he say whether he is considering increasing the actual number of State scholarships available, and does he think that the local authorities will be able to fall into line with these scales in time for the next academic year?
§ Sir D. EcclesWith regard to the first part of the supplementary question, the details are very complicated, as they include changes in the means test, and they will be published within the next day or two. As to the second part, the number of State scholarships has increased slightly. I think that the number is about right. I should not think that it would be very different this year from last year. As to the third part of the question, I have hopes that the local authorities, having seen the proposed scales and the rates for State scholarships, will be willing to adopt them for their own awards.