§ 18. Mrs. Whiteasked the Minister of Education what is the reason for the delay in providing extra places at the Bangor Normal College, as a result of which potential students have now been told to transfer their applications elsewhere.
§ Sir D. EcclesThe cost of the expansion proved on tender to be £305,000 in excess of the Ministry's cost limit of £400,000. The scheme is now being revised in order that the necessary savings may be made.
§ Mrs. WhiteWould the Minister agree that there must be something wrong with his administration when plans for a college like this can go quite so far without anyone having discovered that the demands are almost double what would be permitted? Is not there something very seriously wrong in the methods of consultation in matters of this kind that a situation of this sort should occur at all?
§ Sir D. EcclesWe cannot act until we know what the tender is in terms of money. A similar small scheme for St. Mary's College, Bangor, kept within the Ministry's cost limit.
§ Mrs. WhiteSurely the right hon. Gentleman must give some sort of instruction with regard to the cost of a place, and should it not be clear and lucid enough for the people in charge of these enterprises to know where they are going?
§ Sir D. EcclesIndeed, yes. These cost limits were known to the college before the architects were asked to submit their plans.